The Camas Hot Springs Exchange

Changes In Moles Should
Not Be Ignored
CHICAGO, Ill.--Moles, "the commonest of all tumors", seldom cause
trouble, but one kind needs careful
watching because it may produce "the
most malignant of all cancer"
This type is junction nevus. It is
described in the current (February)
Today's Health, published by the
American Medical Association.
Some moles may contain certain
cells, called "nevus cells" which may
predispose to the development of cancer.
A mole with these cells is called
"junction" because it rises at the
junction of the first and second layers of the skin.
Common moles practically never
become malignant, the article said.
Moles that turn cancerous almost invariably
get their start in junction
nevi.
Most junction nevi never turn cancerous either, but they may occasionally do so. If there are changes in a
mole--deepening in color, increase in
size, or noticeably heightened sensitivity--a doctor should be consulted.
If he finds the mole to be a junction
nevus, then he should remove it
before it has a chance to become
malignant.
"The odds are very much against
every human being, even the most
freckled, having a junction nevus,"
the article said. "Hence the anxious
examination of one's moles is no more
to be encouraged than the hourly
taking of one's pulse if all else is
well.
"But the grave risk of ignoring any
changes in the elevation, shape or
color of a mole is not to be encouraged either. Let a physician and his
laboratory decide. It might be a
junction nevus."
The article was written by James
C. G. Conniff, Upper Montclair, N. J.