TO: All melanoma researchers, doctors, and patients.


The conception of melanoma as a vitamin D deficiency cancer sheds light on a number of pieces to the puzzle. To start, we can now see why melanoma arises in nevi disproportionately more than de novo--in new skin.

The greater pigmentation absorbs more sunlight and less penetrating light means less blood flow in that lesion, thus leaving it prone to developing melanoma whenever circulating vitamin D (25D) is depleted.

How fitting, then, that a nevus is commonly called a mole, as the term likewise refers to one who works in the dark.

James Semmel
Albuquerque, New Mexico