MaDOx Blog

Annette Pluddemann

On spotting a mole in the garden, some people smile and marvel at the ability of these little creatures to live underground, but if you are particularly proud of your finely manicured lawn, you are probably rather annoyed and may go to considerable lengths to be rid of it.
In much the same way we have mixed feelings about the moles on our skin. On the one hand we call them beauty spots and in some ways they make us feel unique. And if your name is Cindy Crawford you make millions by sporting one on your upper lip. But with skin cancer (melanoma) on the rise, we should view moles with suspicion. According to Cancer Research UK, around 2000 people die from melanoma each year in the UK.
When they suddenly change shape or colour, this could spell trouble, prompting a visit to the local GP. Not all moles lead to skin cancer and doctors need to identify which ones are dangerous.
At the moment, the only course of action for the GP is to refer you to a specialist dermatologist. However, in the future your GP may have a dermatoscope to hand in his practice. This is a device much like a magnifying glass with a light, which allows the doctor to analyse the mole more closely to identify whether it has any of the elements that suggest it could spell trouble. The GP could more easily identify which moles may be cause for concern and if they are not worrying, you could go home reassured the day of your visit to the GP, rather than having to wait for an appointment with a specialist. Our horizon scan report illustrates that several studies on dermoscopy have shown that GPs using dermatoscopes miss fewer cancerous moles (melanomas) than those that don’t. Although it remains to be seen how well this works when it is adopted more widely, how useful GPs will find it and how cost-effective it is, it seems like quite a simple way to improve diagnosis of skin cancer. What we need right now is a large study looking at using dermoscopy in general practice in the UK. The sooner the better.