Inherited genes play a larger role in melanoma risk than previously believed
Cleveland ClinicWhen it comes to skin cancer, most people think of warnings about sunburn and tanning beds. Thoughts of “cancer genes” or inherited risks are reserved for diseases like breast cancer or colon cancer. A new study challenges this status quo by showing that genetics play a larger role in melanoma risk than recognized. Physicians rarely order genetic screens to assess risk factors for patients with a family history of melanoma because, according to the previous, limited studies, only 2-2.5% of all cases are genetic. For the same reason, insurance companies rarely cover these tests outside of the most extreme situations. In the medical field, genetic testing is generally not offered for cancers that don’t meet a threshold of 5%. A study from researchers and clinicians led by Cleveland Clinic’s Joshua Arbesman, MD, and Stanford Medicine’s Pauline Funchain, MD (formerly Cleveland Clinic), suggests that melanoma more than meets that threshold.