Melanoma Risk Assessment Tool

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Melanoma Risk Assessment Tool

An interactive tool designed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California, San Francisco, to estimate a person's absolute risk of developing invasive melanoma. The tool helps clinicians identify individuals at increased risk of melanoma in order to plan appropriate screening interventions with them.
JCO Publication
Before using the tool, please note the following:

• The melanoma risk calculator was designed for use by health professionals during a routine physical examination that includes recording of information about the patient's personal and family medical history and an examination of the skin on the patient's back and shoulders. If you are not a health professional, you are strongly encouraged to discuss the results obtained with this tool and your personal risk of melanoma with your doctor.



• The MRAT risk calculator may be updated periodically as new data or research becomes available.



• This tool should not be used to estimate melanoma risk for people who have already had a diagnosis of melanoma, melanoma-in-situ, non-melanoma skin cancer, or a family history of melanoma. These individuals should be in screening and surveillance programs.



• The melanoma risk calculator was developed using data from a large case-control study in the United States. Risks are estimated for non-Hispanic whites only; data for other races/ethnicities are too limited to accurately estimate risk.



• A recent version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Netscape is recommended.



• For information to help your patients understand cancer risk visit http://understandingrisk.cancer.gov. This interactive Web site will help your patients make informed decisions about how to lower their risk.

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(Click a question number for a brief explanation, or read all explanations.)

1. Does the patient live in the Northern, Central, or Southern United States?   Select North Central South

Caution: This map is only a guide. The final choice of region should be made by the health care provider. The model on which the tool is based is valid only for residents of the continental United States. [ Map Explanation ]

2. What is the patient's gender? Please note: This tool uses gender-specific risk models.  It requires different information of male patients than female patients.  The answer to this question will determine what other questions are asked below.   Select Male Female

3. What is the patient's race?   Select Non-Hispanic White Other

4. What is the patient's age?   Select 19 or younger 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 and older

5. Ask the patient: Did you ever get a blistering sunburn?   Select Yes No

6. Ask the patient: Is your complexion light, medium, or dark?   Select Light Medium Dark

7. Ask the patient: After repeated and prolonged exposure to sunlight, at the age you are now, would your skin become very brown and deeply tanned, moderately tanned, lightly tanned or not tan at all?   Select Very brown and deeply tanned Moderately tanned Lightly tanned No tan at all

8. How many moles larger than 5mm in diameter are on the patient's back?   Select Less than two Two or more

9. How many moles less than or equal to 5mm in diameter are on the patient's back?   Select Less than seven Seven to sixteen Seventeen or more

9. How many moles less than or equal to 5mm in diameter are on the patient's back?   Select Less than five Five to eleven Twelve or more

10. How extensive is the freckling on the patient's back and shoulders?   Select Absent Mild Moderate Severe

11. Does the patient have severe solar damage on the shoulders?   Select Yes No