Society for Oncology Massage
 Uncommon Interest, Training, Compassion

Skin Cancer

         

Massage, Moles and Melanoma
Of ABC's and Ugly Ducklings
 

Today's harried physicians do not have time to regularly check their patients for malignant skin conditions.  For a variety of reasons most people do not check themselves regularly.  That leaves massage therapists as the next  line of defense ....  if they know what to look for.  Anyone who has had cancer or is in treatment for cancer is at risk for secondary malignancies. This topic is particularly important for our oncology massage therapy clients. 

This page is is a brief primer on what to look for and what to say.  You are not making a medical diagnosis.  You are looking for spots that might be suspicious and suggesting that your clients have a physician make the call.

The traditional rule for checking moles is "ABCDE and T".  Suspicious moles are often Asymmetrical, have an irregular Border, are more than one Color, are larger than a pencil eraser in Diameter, are Elevated with an uneven surface, and/or change over Time.  A mole meeting just one of these criteria is suspicious.

An additional rule may catch suspicious moles missed by ABCDE-T.  This is the Ugly Duckling Rule: suspect any mole which looks or feels different from the client’s other moles, or which changes differently from the client’s other moles over time.

Finally, any mole that exhibits ulceration, bleeding, itching or pain is automatically suspicious. 

Consciously apply these guidelines to check every mole you encounter - very soon you will be doing it subconsciously and effortlessly

There is an endless variety of moles and sometimes the rules are ambiguous.  You can enhance your skill by viewing a new slideshow on Medscape to get "eyes-on" training with a physician's explanations.  (You will need to register for Medscape.  There is no cost.)  Go to:  http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/mole-melanoma/

For a look at a broad spectrum of skin malignancies, check out the links on this Google photo search page.  This link in particular is helpful in visualizing the ABCDE rules in action.

Here are more examples, classified by type, with verbal descriptions and risk factors:
Basal Cell   ...   Melanoma   ...   Squamous Cell.

Most unusual moles are benign but skin cancer is serious enough to warrant "better safe than sorry" treatment.  Think in advance about how you will present any suspicions to your clients.  You are not making a diagnosis and you do not want to scare them.  But you want to motivate them to take the concern to a doctor.  They will feel that you have their best interest at heart.  And, some may come to thank you for saving their lives.

As time goes by you will will inevitably flag many moles that turn out to be benign.  Any embarrassment on your part will be more than compensated for by the satisfaction of seeing surgical scars where once there were  suspicious moles.


ABC's                      and                      Ugly Ducklings

   
Find original images at: http://64.143.176.9/library/healthguide/en-us/support/topic.asp?hwid=aa78799
and http://www.skincancer.org/the-ugly-duckling-sign.html

 


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