What it means
A common growth on the skin formed by a group of melanocytes, the cells that make skin color. Its medical name is a nevus. Most moles are harmless and last for life, but a new mole, or one that changes, can be a melanomamel-uh-NOH-muhA cancer that starts in melanocytes, the cells that give skin its color.melan/o black, dark-oma tumorFull entry , a serious skin cancer. In chemistry, a mole is also a unit for an amount of a substance, as in the mmol/L of many lab results.
For the nurse
Teach the ABCDE check: Asymmetry, an irregular Border, uneven Color, a Diameter larger than 6 mm, and Evolving (changing in size, shape or color). Report a mole that bleeds, itches or changes.
Remember it
ABCDE: Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter, Evolving.
At a glance
| Spanish | lunar |
|---|---|
| Also written | moles |
Related terms
melanoma
A cancer that starts in melanocytes, the cells that give skin its color.
skin cancer
Cancer that starts in the cells of the skin.