Can melanoma be affected by chemical exposure?

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Can melanoma be affected by chemical exposure?

  • Post
    • March 8, 2016 at 3:53 pm
    Lillias0201
    Participant

      Three different people working at the same industrial chemical plant are diagnosed with melanoma within a two-year period. Person #1 has a stage-4B melanoma on a leg; I'm person #2 with a melanoma in situ on my forehead; and person #3 has metastatic melanoma with lesions on brain and lung, at this time that person still hasn't pinpointed the original melanoma site. Is there any possibility that the three of us could have been at higher risk for melanoma due to exposure to the chemicals in the worksite? Or is this simply a bizarre coincidence?

    Viewing 2 reply threads
    • Replies
        • March 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm
        Janner
        Participant

          Anything that can cause DNA to mutate can allow cancer to form.  Environmental factors can not be eliminated as a cause for melanoma.  Obviously, there is no way to know what causes mutations to take place and as more than one mutation likely has to happen for melanoma to start, exposure to chemicals certainly could play a part.  Maybe not the whole picture but I would never rule that out.  Other cancers are certainly caused by other environmental factors and jobs and I see no reason why that would not apply to melanoma.

          • March 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm
          Janner
          Participant

            Anything that can cause DNA to mutate can allow cancer to form.  Environmental factors can not be eliminated as a cause for melanoma.  Obviously, there is no way to know what causes mutations to take place and as more than one mutation likely has to happen for melanoma to start, exposure to chemicals certainly could play a part.  Maybe not the whole picture but I would never rule that out.  Other cancers are certainly caused by other environmental factors and jobs and I see no reason why that would not apply to melanoma.

            • March 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm
            Janner
            Participant

              Anything that can cause DNA to mutate can allow cancer to form.  Environmental factors can not be eliminated as a cause for melanoma.  Obviously, there is no way to know what causes mutations to take place and as more than one mutation likely has to happen for melanoma to start, exposure to chemicals certainly could play a part.  Maybe not the whole picture but I would never rule that out.  Other cancers are certainly caused by other environmental factors and jobs and I see no reason why that would not apply to melanoma.

          Viewing 2 reply threads
          • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
          About the MRF Patient Forum

          The MRF Patient Forum is the oldest and largest online community of people affected by melanoma. It is designed to provide peer support and information to caregivers, patients, family and friends. There is no better place to discuss different parts of your journey with this cancer and find the friends and support resources to make that journey more bearable.

          The information on the forum is open and accessible to everyone. To add a new topic or to post a reply, you must be a registered user. Please note that you will be able to post both topics and replies anonymously even though you are logged in. All posts must abide by MRF posting policies.