Take care of melanoma out of season because prevention should not be done only in view of spring and summer, but all year round to limit as much as possible the risk of the most aggressive and most frequent skin cancer in people under 50 years of age . With this aim, the campaign “Beyond the skin – Prevention at the center “ promoted by Novartis with the patronage of scientific societies and patient associations, starts with a new initiative – “Meet us” – which invites citizens to return with confidence to specialist centers to meet experts and carry out check-ups all year round, starting from from this month and throughout 2022. The first appointment takes place on November 17 at the AORN San Pio in Benevento: an opportunity to talk, learn about, prevent and deal with melanoma together with the Center’s experts and to carry out free screenings.
Little prevention among Italians
In Italy, the incidence of melanoma has increased significantly in the last ten years: for 2020, 14,863 new cases have been estimated (+ 20% compared to 2019), of which 8,100 for men and 6,700 for women. In Italy today there are approximately 170,000 people (80,069 men and 89,831 women) with a previous diagnosis of melanoma. In the last year, Italians have neglected the prevention of this neoplasm, as demonstrated by a survey conducted last March by Doxapharma and promoted by Novartis, according to which in 2020 almost 80% of respondents did not consider it important to schedule a visit to In the mapping of moles, 43% said they had never had a screening, and among those who were used to checking themselves periodically, the frequency decreased. Only 7% planned a mole check in the following months.
A decalogue to improve the early diagnosis of melanoma
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The importance of controls and self-assessment
The survey found that the share of people who declare they know melanoma well and that of those who consider early diagnosis essential to increase the chances of recovery has also decreased. “To effectively combat melanoma it is important to adopt correct behaviors from an early age, such as exposing yourself to the sun, always applying high protection and only at certain times, and to periodically check the moles” he explains. Francesco Cusano, director of the dermatology unit of the AORN San Pio di Benevento – PO “G. RUMMO ”and president of the Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists, Italian Hospital and Public Health (Adoi). “The first step in the prevention process is self-assessment. In case of new suspicion it is advisable to contact your doctor and then the dermatologist for a visit ”, adds Cusano.
Melanoma: Survival increases, but more for men
by Tina Simoniello
Prevention all year round
Periodic control of moles and protection of the skin from damage caused by the sun’s rays are fundamental tools for the prevention of melanoma, but it is not enough to worry about them only before the arrival of summer. Indeed, right after the summer it is even more important to check the possible damage caused by incorrect exposure to the sun and in general during the rest of the year to check for the possible appearance of suspicious moles. “The prevention of melanoma is based on the identification of a mole suspected or at risk and on the selection of the population groups at risk – he declares Ignazio Stanganelli, director of the Clinical-Experimental Center of Oncodermatology – Skin Cancer Unit of the Tumor Institute of Romagna (IRST) IRCCS, Associate Professor of the University of Parma and president of the Italian Melanoma Intergroup (IMI). “The prevention of melanoma must be carried out all year round, both in the presence of a changing lesion and by monitoring the subgroups of high-risk populations, and at multiple levels: by the population, to recognize the changes in a suspicious mole, using the ABCDE rule and the so-called sign of the ‘ugly duckling’, i.e. that mole that stands out and differs from the others; by the general practitioner, for prompt sending to the specialist, following the recognition of the lesion on the basis of the characteristics described above and finally by the dermatologist who must use, in addition to clinical observation with the naked eye, dermoscopy to increase the diagnostic capacity and selection of suspicious lesions. In particular cases, the specialist can use sequential dermoscopy (or mapping) and confocal microscopy, although this technique is currently used in a few centers “.
The campaign ‘Beyond the skin – Prevention at the center’
To bring people’s attention back to the importance of melanoma prevention, the Novartis campaign “Beyond the skin – Prevention at the center” returns with a new initiative to specialist centers in some Italian cities, to invite citizens to control themselves thanks to free screenings, to dialogue and discuss with clinicians to learn about, prevent and deal with melanoma together. The campaign is sponsored by: Italian Melanoma Intergroup (IMI), Italian Society of Medical, Surgical, Aesthetic Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (SIDeMaST), Italian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists, Italian Hospital and Public Health (ADOI), Italian Association of Melanoma Patients (AiMa.Me.), Melanoma Italia Onlus (MiO), Italian Melanoma Patients Association (APAiM), Emme Rouge Onlus and MelanomaDay.
Let’s ‘meet’ with doctors and patient associations
The ‘Meet us’ initiative starts on November 17th from the AORN San Pio di Benevento – PO “G. RUMMO ”and will continue throughout 2022 involving other centers distributed throughout the national territory. The meetings include an informative moment with the experts of the Center that will host the event to talk about the importance of primary and secondary prevention and the need for periodic checks. Participants in the information meeting will be able to carry out a free screening of moles at the end of the event. To participate in the meetings and make the free visits, reservations are required: all the details are available on the website www.oltrelapelle.it in the dedicated section “Let’s talk together”.
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