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Skin cancers kill all too often

MedExpress Team

Medexpress

Published July 6, 2023 13:50

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According to the latest data from the National Cancer Registry, melanoma in Poland in 2020 more than 3,270 people will develop the disease, and nearly 10,800 will be diagnosed with other skin malignancies, including basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas [1]. Experts are sounding the alarm: these numbers are underestimated, the number of patients is increasing, younger and younger people are getting sick, and the mortality rate is very high (it ranges from 40 to even 60 percent in people over 70 [2]). Specialists appeal: you should regularly check your skin, use effective and appropriate prophylaxis, including proven products with high sun protection, and do it all year round, not just in the summer.

Skin cancers include pigmented lesions (mainly melanoma) and non-pigmented lesions (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma). This is a growing health, social and economic problem in Poland. According to data from the NSC, they account for about 10 percent of all malignant neoplasms and, as experts point out, these figures are still severely underestimated. It can be assumed with a high degree of certainty that malignant skin cancers account for the majority of all malignant cancer diagnoses. In the case of melanoma, the disease can develop at any point in life. Most cases are recorded among adults aged 35-49 and among seniors aged 60-74.

- The main cause of all skin malignancies is overexposure to the sun, known as sunbathing, especially when it causes burns and blisters. Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun damage genetic material (DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid) in the skin, causing abnormal cells to form. We are all at risk of contracting the disease, especially fair-skinned people who do not use any form of sun protection. - emphasizes Szymon Bubiłek, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Sarcoma and Melanoma Society. - Using simple methods such as avoiding exposure between 11 am and 4 pm, using UV-filtered glasse...

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czerniak / rak skóry

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