Patient and health provider recognition of the impact of nevus count on melanoma risk presents a unique and mostly untapped opportunity for earlier detection, a recent study found. Researchers conducted a retrospective study of 566 individuals recently diagnosed with melanoma in 2 large academic centers. They found:

• Most prevention attitudes and behaviors did not vary on the basis of total nevi or atypical nevi counts.

• However, younger patients (aged <60 years) with many total nevi (>50) were more likely than those with fewer nevi (<20) to believe they were at-risk for melanoma (42 vs 23%), and more likely to state that they had been instructed on the signs of melanoma (36 vs 21%).

Citation: Mayer JE, Swetter SM, Miler DR, Sober AJ, et al. Association of nevus count with prevention attitudes and behaviors before melanoma diagnosis. [Published online ahead of print July 6, 2016]. Melanoma Res. doi:10.1097/CMR.0000000000000279.