With the motto Don’t wait to feel it on your skin, the Brazilian Society of Dermatology (SBD) promotes, during the last month of the year, its Skin Cancer Prevention Campaign in December.
It is estimated that between 2023 and 2025 there will be 9,000 new cases of melanoma-type skin cancer each year, which arise in melanocytes (cells that produce melanin, a substance that determines skin color), and more than 220,000 non-cancer cases. melanoma skin. . Melanoma skin cancer. The forecasts were issued by the National Cancer Institute (INCA).
The institute estimates that of the total incidence of skin cancer, 4,640 will be in men and 4,340 in women. Among non-melanomas, 101,920 records should be produced in men and 118,570 in women. “For this reason, we want to show the possible forms of protection against light, such as the use of sunscreens and physical barriers, such as caps, hats and glasses”, highlights the Coordinator of the Campaign and Dermato-oncologist of the SBD, Renato Backus.
The Impact of The Epidemic
According to the SBD, more than 17,000 cases of skin cancer were diagnosed at the height of the Covid-19 epidemic, between 2020 and 2021; the absolute number of registered cases was 24.7% lower than in the period before the disease progressed. Coronavirus.
The condition affected, above all, the population over 60 years of age. In this period, the total number of hospitalizations due to illness also decreased by 26%, according to information from the Unified Health System (SUS).
The coordinator regrets the number and highlights the importance of prevention. “It’s important to pay attention to the signals your body is sending. But a clinical exam by a dermatologist and possible biopsy can effectively confirm a skin cancer diagnosis,” he says.
The Illness
Skin cancer is caused by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of the cells that make up the skin and can be prevented every day. It is enough to avoid sun exposure and protect the skin from the effects of ultraviolet rays that come from the sun.
The disease, which can manifest as moles, eczema, or other benign lesions, can be treated curatively with less invasive procedures, in addition to radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and oral and topical medications. The most serious skin cancer, melanoma, is treated based on the extent, aggressiveness, and location of the tumor, as well as the patient’s age and general health.
“In both types of cancer it is extremely important that the diagnosis is made early to avoid disfiguring or disfiguring lesions in areas of the body, in cases of low mortality, deterioration of quality of life and even death, in most cases. cases severe cases. A large part of skin cancers can be cured with primary therapies”, explains Backus.
