Family History Melanoma Risk Assessment

If a parent, sibling or child has had melanoma, the natural question is what that means for you. This assessment asks the questions clinicians use when they take a melanoma family history — which relatives were affected, how young they were, whether anyone had more than one melanoma — and explains what the pattern you report does and does not imply.

Quick answer

Having one first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) with melanoma roughly doubles your own risk. Risk rises further when two or more first-degree relatives are affected, when a relative was diagnosed before age 40, or when a relative had multiple separate melanomas. Family history is a risk marker, not a diagnosis, and it does not tell you anything about a specific mole.

This questionnaire assesses personal and environmental risk factors such as family history, UV exposure and skin characteristics. It does not analyse photographs and cannot tell you whether an individual mole is cancerous.

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1.Has a parent been diagnosed with melanoma?
2.Has a sibling been diagnosed with melanoma?
3.Has a child of yours been diagnosed with melanoma?
4.In total, how many first-degree relatives have had melanoma?
5.Was any affected relative diagnosed before the age of 40?
6.Has any relative had more than one separate melanoma?
7.Have you personally been diagnosed with melanoma?
8.Have you been told you have atypical or dysplastic moles?
9.Roughly how many moles do you have?
10.Have grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins had melanoma?
11.Has anyone in your family had pancreatic cancer or an eye (uveal) melanoma?
These occasionally cluster with familial melanoma syndromes, which is why clinicians ask.

What your result means

Around one in ten people diagnosed with melanoma has an affected relative. Most of that clustering reflects shared skin type and shared sun habits rather than a single inherited gene — families tend to share phenotype and holidays as well as DNA. A smaller group carries a genuine familial melanoma syndrome, and the signals clinicians look for are the ones this assessment asks about: several affected first-degree relatives, an early age at diagnosis, or more than one primary melanoma in the same person.

If your profile shows increased first-degree or pattern domains, that is worth raising with a GP or dermatologist — it can change how often you are offered a skin examination, and in some health systems it opens the door to genetics referral. This tool does not test genes and cannot tell you whether you carry a variant such as CDKN2A.

What this assessment cannot tell you

This is not a genetic test. It cannot confirm or rule out an inherited melanoma syndrome, it cannot estimate a percentage chance of developing melanoma, and it cannot assess an individual mole. Only a clinical genetics service can evaluate an inherited syndrome, and only a clinician can diagnose a lesion.

If you have a spot you are worried about, use the AI mole checker for a photo-based assessment, and see a GP or dermatologist for anything that is changing, bleeding or failing to heal.

How family history affects melanoma risk

First-degree relatives carry the most weight

Parents, siblings and children share about half your DNA and usually much of your childhood sun exposure. That is why a single affected first-degree relative moves risk far more than an affected cousin.

Age at diagnosis and multiple primaries

Melanoma diagnosed under 40, or two or more separate primary melanomas in one relative, are the classic flags for a stronger inherited component. Both are questions a dermatologist will ask.

Family history plus your own mole pattern

Familial atypical multiple mole melanoma (FAMMM) describes families with many atypical moles and melanoma across generations. If you reported both a family history and a high or atypical mole count, the combination matters more than either alone — and photo-based monitoring becomes more useful, because change over time is the signal.

What to do with the information

Practical steps: agree a check interval with your GP, keep dated photos of the moles you watch, avoid sunbeds entirely, and tell your relatives — family history runs in both directions. For your broader personal picture, the personal melanoma risk assessment covers phenotype and UV exposure as well.

Frequently asked questions

Does melanoma run in families?

It can. Roughly 1 in 10 people diagnosed with melanoma has an affected relative, though much of that reflects shared skin type and sun exposure rather than a single inherited gene.

How much does a parent with melanoma increase my risk?

One affected first-degree relative — parent, sibling or child — is generally described as roughly doubling relative risk. Two or more affected first-degree relatives raises it further.

Should I have genetic testing for melanoma?

Genetic testing is usually reserved for families with several affected first-degree relatives, early diagnoses or multiple primary melanomas. Discuss it with a GP or dermatologist, who can refer you to clinical genetics if appropriate.

Is this a genetic test?

No. It is a questionnaire that summarises the family-history pattern you report. It does not analyse DNA and cannot detect CDKN2A or any other variant.

What if only a cousin or grandparent had melanoma?

Second-degree relatives contribute less than first-degree relatives, but they still form part of the picture a clinician considers, especially alongside your own skin type and mole count.

Sources

Medically reviewed by Dr. Anna H. Chacon, MD, FAAD, Board-Certified Dermatologist. Last reviewed 2026-08-15.