should i get a cancer screening?

hi!

so i'm 20 year old female college student. in august of last summer I noticed that I had a lot of freckles showing up over my shoulders and down my arms; here is why i find this concerning:

  • I have had the same 4 freckles for my entire life, no more no less until this time
    • almost none of my family has them either except one of my sisters (idk if this is relevant)
  • it can't be sun exposure because I spent almost no time in the sun basically the entire summer (like i mean literally none)
    • I played club softball for years prior, so i was outside in the sun for hours at a time for the majority of the week and never had this issue
  • I started working in a biochem lab and handle cancerous materials (this was around the time i noticed them)
    • they might have popped up a little before this, not 100% sure
  • also 2 moles that i've had my entire life are in that area and i swear have started to lift/blur
  • my mom has lynch syndrome and i have never been tested, so idk if i have it - this is the main reason i feel like should get screened but i might be crazy

overall if it wasn't for the lab and my mom i won't even be thinking about it. honestly i think i just need someone to tell me i'm crazy so i can move on from this because its been haunting my brain for like 8 months. i am also still on my parents insurance and don't want to freak them out by telling them i'm getting a cancer screening (my mom has had some really bad rounds of cancer so i'm scared this will drag up some stuff for my family)

anyway sorry this is long any help is really really appreciated cause i literally feel insane

Posted Jun 3, 2026, 1:43 AM UTC

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