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Introduction
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has written this booklet (NIH Publication No. 99-3133) to help you
learn more about common moles and unusual
ones called dysplastic nevi
or atypical moles. This booklet shows what moles look like and explains how
they may be related to melanoma, a
type of skin cancer. It describes the
signs of melanoma and explains how you can check your skin for moles that might
be cancerous. It also explains why and how you can protect your skin. Other
NCI booklets about skin cancer and cancer prevention are listed in the
"Other Booklets" section.
Cancer research has led to real progress against cancer -- better survival and
an improved quality of life. Through research, our knowledge about moles and
cancers of the skin keeps increasing. We are finding new ways to prevent,
detect, and treat cancer. The
Cancer Information Service and the other
sources of NCI information listed under
"National Cancer Institute Information Resources"
can provide the latest, most accurate information about moles, dysplastic nevi,
and cancer. Publications mentioned in this booklet and others are available
from the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER. Many NCI publications
are also available on the Internet at the Web sites listed in the
"National Cancer Institute Information Resources"
section at the end of this booklet.
Words that may be new to readers are printed in italics.
Definitions of these and other terms related to moles and melanoma are listed in
the Dictionary. For some words, a
"sounds-like" spelling is also given.
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