Moles Contain Self-Policing Cells against Cancer

Moles are more than a sometimes unsightly skin growth. Most harbor mutations that can trigger deadly skin cancer--melanoma--and most fair-skinned humans have at least 10 such moles. Yet, only one in 65 of such people will develop melanoma in their lifetimes. And research has now pinpointed how a series of mechanisms prevents the cells that produce pigment--known as melanocytes--from fulfilling any cancerous destiny.