Ask the expert: Can kids get melanoma?

Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD My 16-year-old daughter loves to tan. Should we be worried about skin cancer? – Sunseeker’s dad Although melanoma is very rare in children, the incidence of childhood and adolescent melanoma has increased on average 2 percent per year since 1973. Thankfully, however, the incidence rate has started to decrease again in the last few years. The biggest increase has been in girls ages 15-19, possibly because girls are more likely than boys to sunbathe and use tanning beds. While melanoma is the least common type of skin cancer in adults, skin cancer in children is almost always melanoma. Because melanoma often appears differently in children than in adults, doctors and parents sometimes overlook it or misdiagnose it as a different skin problem. We spoke with Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, clinical director of the Solid Tumor Center at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, to learn what parents should know about melanoma in children. What are the signs and symptoms of melanoma in children? While melanomas in adults tend to turn darker, in children they often are whitish, yellowish or red and may be misdiagnosed as warts. If you notice any changes to skin or moles in your child it is important to visit your pediatrician. The same “ABCDE rule” used to determine whether a doctor should check a mole in adults also applies to children. Just remember that in children, color may be lighter instead of darker. What are ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Kids' safety parenting Source Type: news