SKIN CANCER MELANOMA CORDOBA | In Cordoba, cases of melanoma are rising among young people due to sun abuse

This doctor, who is also in charge of the hospital’s committee dealing with the disease, points out thatn CordobaMelanoma cases are on the rise in Andalusia and Spain, so that if ten years ago in the province of Cordoba there were about 10 or 11 cases diagnosed per 100,000 inhabitants, now the figure is 13 for the same proportion of the population. According to Pedro Sanchez, this higher number of people affected is mainly due to the fact that these areas experience more hours of sunlight. and more sun-exposed activities compared to other geographic locations.

Oncologist, skin cancer specialist at the Reina Sofia Hospital Pedro Sanchez Maurinho.

Preventive action

“It is very importantTake measures to protect your skin(with sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, clothing), during the summer months or with more sun exposure, as well as during the rest of the year. Prevention is one of the keys to preventing new cases of melanoma, especially at younger ages, as An increase in the incidence of melanoma is observed among the population aged 25 to 30 years. despite the fact that traditionally the most affected part of the population are adults from 40 to 60 years old,” says this oncologist.

Moreover, Sánchez Maurinho notes that another high percentage of the total number of melanomas, about half, due to other factors such as predisposition based on skin type (fair skin) or genetic predispositionto which we must add conditions that cause other tumors and that also affect skin tumors, such as tobacco, alcohol, obesity, sedentary lifestyle or environmental pollution.

Check your skin periodically

This Reina Sofia doctor urges the population to undergo periodic examinations to ensure that there are no lesions indicating possible skin cancer, since early diagnosis is the main tool to prevent this disease from progressing to an advanced stage that cannot be treated adequately as if it were at a more initial stage. In this line If you have any doubts, you should seek public health advice in the first instance from your GP if he or she will consider making a referral to a specialist in dermatology.

If a person is a private health care user, if he wants to undergo an examination, he can immediately consult a dermatologist. Antonio Tejera, responsible for the cutaneous oncology department at the San Juan de Dios Hospital, emphasizes that in this review, in addition to check the traditional ABCDE rule about moles (nevi)checking whether any or all of these criteria may exist in them. (asymmetry, edges, color, diameter and evolution)The best thing to do is to distinguish whether there has been a noticeable change between one or another mole, which is called the “ugly duckling sign.”

A dermatologist observes the patient’s skin.

Dermatoscope

“We use a dermatoscope, which is a lens that allows us to see the structures that make up the mole and the color pattern, to see if it needs to be removed,” explains this expert. Antonio Tejera emphasizes that consultations regarding possible skin cancer account for about 10% of the total number of consultations related to dermatology, due to the greater concern of the population about this issue. This specialist insists that special surveillance is needed to prevent melanoma in relatives of patients, people with very fair skin, red hair, or people with 70 or more moles on their body and whose moles have an atypical pattern. risk people It is advisable to use digital dermatoscopy, which maps the entire body. for better monitoring of nevi,” he adds.

More cases in women

This doctor from San Juan de Dios explains that “melanomas are more common in women than in men, especially in legs and arms (mainly due to excessive tanning) and in men, on the torso (especially because of the type of work or recreational activities they engage in).”

Sunbathing in the middle of the day can be very harmful.

Greater survival rate if detected early.

The Andalusian Society of Medical Oncology (SAOM) emphasizes that “progress in oncological surgery, with more advanced methods and more adjusted indications, as well as New personalized treatments have revolutionized the prognosis of this tumor type. and they have has improved the life expectancy of those affected, especially over the past 20 years. “Research and development in immunotherapy has allowed us to achieve very good results in patients not only with metastatic melanoma, but also in complementary treatments, while new targeted therapies have achieved good results and improved survival.”

In fact, according to SAOMSurvival rates for melanoma patients have increased in recent years and 89% of women and 82% of men will be able to overcome it thanks to all these advances in early diagnosis, surgery and advanced cancer treatments.

Pedro Sanchez Maurinho, in turn, emphasized that melanoma must be approached from an interdisciplinary point of view, oncologists, dermatologists, primary care physicians, pathologists, nuclear medicine and other specialties to achieve better results.

question