Melanomas grow in the Belluno area

From 1990 to 2018, the incidence of this skin cancer rose dramatically in the Ulss 1 territory. To counter this phenomenon, the health company launched an awareness campaign

BELLUNO. The incidence of melanomas in Ulss 1 Dolomites is growing and especially those on the face (20%). Indeed, the province of Belluno is the one that records the greatest increase in Veneto. This is said by professor Alessandra Buja, professor of hygiene at the University of Padua yesterday in Belluno to support the awareness campaign launched by the Ulss for conscious exposure to the sun in the mountains with the slogan “Mountain yes, Melanoma no”. A campaign that will start this year with the collaboration of CAI and alpine shelters, but which in the coming months will involve local associations and schools as well. “This is a plan that falls within the new prevention plan in our Ulss,” said the general director, Maria Grazia Carraro.

“At an international level there has recently been an increase in the incidence rate of melanoma”, Buja begins, “especially from a recent study of 2022, in the areas of Eastern and Central Europe there is an annual increase of 3% of this pathology . Also in Veneto there is an annual increase of 3% in women and 3.8% in men “.

In Ulss 1 Dolomites, however, the growth is greater. “From 1990 to 2018, the years in which the trend was calculated, there was an annual increase in this skin cancer equal to + 5.8% in men and + 4.1% in women. Therefore numbers considerably higher than the regional ones », Buja continues.

This trend of increasing incidence begins to affect the young population under the age of 50: in fact, there is a + 7.7% in women under 50 and a + 7% in men. “One of the risk factors for which we find these data is sunburn in childhood. So we will also start in schools to raise awareness on responsible exposure to the sun “, emphasizes the professor. She then adds: «This annual increase has changed the epidemiology of melanoma in the regional and provincial context. In 1990 melanoma in Veneto, in the ranking of the most frequent cancers, was in 15th place, while in 2018 it rose to 6th place (4th place for women and 5th for males); while in the Belluno area if this pathology covered the 18th place in 1990, in 2018 it rose to the seventh. And in particular in the man he holds the fifth place, while in the woman the sixth ».

If we look instead at the standardized incidence rate at European level, in the province of Belluno melanoma in 1990 had an incidence of 6.3 new cases per 100 thousand inhabitants in humans, while in 2018 it increased to 40.6 cases each. 100,000 inhabitants, that is, it has increased sixfold. “Even in 2017 the rate was 56.6 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. This high standardized rate in men turns out to be the highest among those estimated in all Italian regions. And it is comparable only to that of countries with the highest incidence of melanoma such as Australia ». The rate for women, on the other hand, went from 13.8 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 1990 to 27.5 in 2018.

Currently, around a hundred new cases of melanoma are seen every year in hospitals in Belluno.

As regards the standardized mortality rate in males (8.37% against a 4.72% in Veneto in 2020), there is a higher mortality in Belluno than in Veneto, while for women it is 3.61% against a 2, 68% from Veneto.

If prevention remains the main factor in warding off this skin cancer through responsible exposure to the sun with sunscreen, early diagnosis is essential to avoid bad outcomes. If caught early, melanoma can be cured. “In Ulss 1 Dolomites, 62% of melanomas discovered are at stage 1, ie initial, in line with Veneto data, while those discovered at advanced stages such as 3 and 4 are equal to 18% compared to 14.3% in Veneto” .

Primary prevention therefore remains fundamental, through correct behavior when exposed to the sun both in summer and in winter, both at the sea and in the mountains, but also early diagnosis. “This is why the self-assessment of one’s skin is fundamental and if you notice particular things or an increase in spots you must contact a doctor,” said Carlo Riccardo Rossi, professor at the Venetian Oncology Institute. “We know that 70% of melanomas are self-identified. And this helps to intervene first on the tumor thus avoiding metastases or complications. But you need to focus on correct behavior and periodic observation of your skin ».