Parkinson’s Disease and Metastatic Melanoma

During the month of May the blog posts have focused on melanoma. In the office we have been educating and emphasizing the need for regular skin exams and specifically focusing on melanoma.  Understandably so, the word “melanoma” is a word that can provoke a sense of panic, fear, and concern because of its propensity to metastasize (or travel to other parts of the body).  When melanoma does metastasize, its growth in other organs of the body can affect the life span of the individual. The key to preventing the metastasis is early detection and treatment of melanoma before it has the opportunity to metastasize and have significant impact on life span.

By doing regular skin exams, we are able to detect abnormally growing spots, discuss possible risk factors that might put someone at greater risk for developing melanoma, and treat those who have developed melanoma. Some of the more commonly known risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing melanoma include things we can control like our UV light exposure which would include tanning bed use. Others risk factors like family history of melanoma, Caucasian race, age, and weakened immunity are risk factors we have no control over.

[shareable text=”Patient’s with Parkinson’s Disease have 2 to 7 times greater chance of developing melanoma.”]Patient’s with Parkinson’s Disease have 2 to 7 times greater chance of developing melanoma.[/shareable]

One of the less discussed risk factors for melanoma is the association between Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and melanoma.  The link between the two diseases is an interesting one because Parkinson’s Disease is characterized by a decreased production of dopamine in the brain and melanoma is caused by increased production of abnormal melanin producing cells.  Another interestingly fact is that those with PD are more likely to develop melanoma and those with melanoma are more likely to develop PD. So you may ask, “What is the connection?” And that was the same question I asked myself.

After searching the literature for an explanation of this positive association between PD and melanoma, I concluded that there does not seem to be clarity in the scientific community. Researchers have investigated and are continuing to investigate the reason for the link between the two diseases, and have developed several hypotheses. However, none of these hypotheses have been able to adequately explain the association.

Although the positive association has not yet been clearly explained, the link between the two diseases is undeniable.  Until it can be identified, it is recommended that those who have PD should have a regular yearly skin exams.  This returns us to one of the first points we discussed that prevention, early detection, and treatment are the keys into taking some of the fear and concern out of the word “melanoma “, so those with PD should have a skin exam regularly.

If you have a family member who has Parkinson’s Disease, please make an appointment for them with a dermatologist today!

This article was written by Aaron Santmyire, APRN-BC, DNP.