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Although awareness of the dangers of excessive sunbathing is growing, the number of supporters of chocolate-colored skin is declining very slowly. We are not put off by the fact that melanoma is the most malignant of skin cancers. Anna Jarosz talks to the surgeon prof. dr hab. n. med. Piotr Rutkowski.
The popularity of tanning is not decreasing, and we are often not aware of the risks associated with it. Why do new moles appear after sunbathing and what can this mean? Read the interview with prof. dr hab. n. med. Piotr Rutkowski.
- Many Poles are at risk of melanoma?
Piotr Rutkowski:Due to the light complexion, 65% of the group at high risk of developing melanoma is population. Despite this, as much as 75 percent. of these people had never visited a doctor to find out if and to what extent they were at risk of skin cancer. The TNS OBOP research on the attitudes of Poles towards melanoma shows that only 25 percent. of people are aware of having a birthmark (mole, spot, growth) on their body, which may be a potential threat and be a source of disease. The birthmarks on their bodies are almost twice as likely to be looked at by women than by men. Also more often people with higher than basic education. But 39 percent. of people admit that they rarely watch them or do not do it at all. We were talking about fair Polish skin. However, consultations with a dermatologist or oncologist are more common for people with dark, olive or brown skin, rather than fair skin.
- Who is most at risk of developing skin cancer?
P.R.:Generally speaking, people with light blonde or red hair, fair eyes and fair skin that is prone to sunburn. Also people with freckles and a lot of moles, discoloration or birthmarks. But among the risk factors is also a family burden of melanoma or other skin cancers, and excessive exposure to UV rays, including sunbed visits, and sunburn, especially in childhood and adolescence. But, in order not to lull the vigilance of people who are not in this group, it should be said that you can get sick in anyage, and the risk increases with age. Most often, melanomas are detected in people around 54 years of age. The point is that over time, skin damage resulting from sunburn or excessive tanning in the sun and in a solarium accumulates.
- We are talking about melanoma, but it is not just one cancer
P.R .:That's right. There are 40 types of melanoma hidden under the name of melanoma. They differ both in appearance and in what goes on inside. In the case of 60 percent. of them, the genotype of the tumor is known, which allows for the selection of the most effective form of therapy. In Poland, over 60 percent. cases are the so-called sporadic melanomas. They arise in people who spend a lot of time in closed rooms on a daily basis, and from time to time sunbathe briefly and intensively, e.g. go on vacation to Croatia and lie on the beach with a cake, or work in full sun on a plot or in a field with exposed skin. This also applies to people who passionately use the solarium.
- So between intense sunbathing and the cause of melanoma, you can put an equal sign
P.R.:Of course, because only about 3 percent. of this type of neoplasms are melanomas associated with family burdens, which are a consequence of an inborn gene mutation.
- Is melanoma black?
P.R.:No, it isn't. A neoplastic lesion may be red, dark blue, gray, and even flesh-colored.
- The number of new cases of melanoma is growing at an alarming rate. How many people are sick in our country?
P.R .:In Poland, we detect approx. 3 thousand people every year cases of melanoma. Unfortunately, the number of cases doubles every 10 years. This is due to, inter alia, with the fact that Poles more and more often go to countries where the sun is strong and they have easy access to tanning beds. In Poland, the average age of women using tanning beds is only 17 years. It is worth adding that many countries have long since introduced a ban on the use of tanning beds by children and adolescents up to 18 and even 21 years of age, and some countries (e.g. Australia and Brazil) have banned this type of sunbathing altogether. In Poland it is not even heard that such restrictions were to be introduced.
Czerniak - how to recognize?
- How to test the skin yourself?
P.R .:Look at your skin in good light once a month. The back, arms and back of the legs can be seen in the mirror. We also look at the feet, the insides of the hands, the skin between the toes and the skin on the hairy part of the head. It is not easy for the patient to judge the type of mole onskin, but anyone can be shown to the doctor. A dermatologist or oncologist will recognize melanoma easily. It is enough to examine the birthmark under a dermatoscope, which allows you to see the changes on the skin at 10 or 12x magnification and shows the entire structure of the mole. This examination, which takes a few minutes, is completely painless and safe, but it can decide whether we are to be or not. Anyone who notices that they have a new birthmark or that the old one has changed shape or color should see a doctor without delay. Let me remind you that you do not need a referral to a dermatologist and oncologist.
- How to minimize the risk of developing melanoma?
P.R.:Prevention is simple. We should protect the skin against ultraviolet (UV) radiation, because it causes the skin not only to age faster, but also to damage its cells. If melanocytes, or skin pigment cells, are damaged, melanoma can develop. Therefore, we should not use the solarium at all. Do not sunbathe during the hours of the strongest sun exposure, that is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., to avoid burns. When the sun is scorching - cover your skin with airy clothing. These recommendations also apply to children.
- How to sunbathe so as not to get sick?
P.R.:Let's sunbathe with your head. Anyone in the sun should apply sun care products with an anti-UV filter on their skin. In our climate zone, we should reach for cosmetics with anti-UV filters of no less than 30. People with very fair skin, and therefore those at higher risk of cancer, should use cosmetics with a higher factor, e.g. 40 or 50. It is also important to choose a cream when choosing a cream. check if it offers protection against UVA and UVB radiation. And one more thing. We must remember to apply them correctly, e.g. after leaving the water, apply the cream again to the entire exposed skin.
- Can melanoma be cured?
P.R .:Oncologists who treat melanomas can boast that up to 90 percent of their patients recover completely.
- What is melanoma treatment?
P.R .:Lesions, which have the features of melanoma, are surgically excised under local anesthesia, with a margin of he althy skin. Then such a change is examined histopathologically, i.e. under a microscope. Depending on the type of melanoma and the stage of the disease, additional surgery and possibly complementary treatment are sometimes ordered. If melanoma is detected early, i.e. it is no more than 1 mm deep (the extent of the lesion does not matter), it is almost 100%incurable. You don't even need follow-up treatment. This is the case of 60-70 percent. detected melanomas. Unfortunately, other patients come to us late and their prognosis is worse. In the case of metastases to internal organs, half of the patients live only about 7 months.
- What are the modern methods of melanoma treatment?
P.R .:Doctors and patients with advanced melanomas already have one of the two approved drugs at their disposal. It is a molecularly targeted oral drug that inhibits the production of protein by the mutant BRAF gene. BRAF mutation occurs in melanomas in half of patients with metastases to other organs. By administering the drug, it does not grow in an uncontrolled manner.
- Melanoma treatment
- Skin cancer - symptoms [photos]
- How to safely use the solarium
"Zdrowie" monthly
About the author
Anna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.
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