Women of childbearing age who are at high risk for melanoma and those who have already had melanoma are concerned about whether an eventual pregnancy could increase the risk of melanoma or worsen the course and prognosis of melanoma. Twenty or thirty years ago, it was considered that pregnancy could increase the risk of melanoma, or that it could worsen its prognosis and evolution.
Is there a link between pregnancy and the onset of melanoma?
We still do not have a completely accurate answer to these questions, but we are getting reassuring information on the subject. The most recent data do not show that pregnancy increases the risk of melanoma or worsens its prognosis, as reported in an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology last October.
Many of the relationships between pregnancy and melanoma are probably the result of chance.
What is melanoma and how does it affect us?
Melanoma is a relatively frequent tumor in young adults, being the most frequent malignant tumor among women between 25 and 35 years of age. Although this is conditioned by the rarity of other tumors at this age, that is, at the age at which women usually become pregnant, other malignant tumors are as rare or more rare than melanoma itself. In fact, sun abuse in adolescence or the relatively widespread use of artificial tanning lamps among young women certainly have more to do with it than pregnancy itself.
On the other hand, moles and many melanomas can express beta receptors for estrogen, which need not be functional. This could explain that in some specific cases there could be a certain relationship between certain hormonal stimuli and the development or evolution of melanoma, but I insist, this is not the rule.
For the same reason, the use of hormonal contraceptives, ovulation stimulants and hormone replacement therapy in women at high risk for melanoma or who have already had it is controversial. But again, the most recent data tend to indicate that the influence of these treatments on the incidence or progression of melanoma, if any, would be minimal.
What is still the best solution?
Although these are still open questions, the most recent news is generally reassuring. The risk of melanoma does not seem to be significantly modified by pregnancy, and its prognosis would depend on the same factors that are operative in any other melanoma.
What is certain is that early diagnosis remains the key to avoiding major problems. For example, digital dermoscopy is an excellent option to monitor any at-risk woman with abundant or atypical moles, and it is a test that can be performed without problems during pregnancy.
Consult your dermatologist for more information.