Melanoma is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. It is characterized by its aggressive nature and rapid metastasis, which often leads to high treatment costs and rapid death of the patient.
Over the past 10 years, the number of patients diagnosed with melanoma for the first time in Belarus has increased by 1.5 times. Worldwide, the number of people diagnosed with melanoma doubles on average every 6-8 years.
In the United States alone, more than $3 billion is spent annually on treating melanoma patients, and by 2030 this figure is expected to triple compared to 2011.
Oncologist of the 1st category of the HappyDerm medical center Lyudmila Artyushkevich named several factors that can increase the likelihood of developing melanoma:
- the presence of light skin, blondes and redheads with freckles;
- excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation, including tanning beds, sunburn at least once in a lifetime;
- a history of melanoma in a direct relative and the presence of 100 or more pigmented nevi on the skin, especially dysplastic nevi.
The introduction of new treatments, including targeted chemotherapy, has increased the cost of treating patients with metastatic melanoma but has not yet improved overall treatment outcomes. It is therefore important to focus on prevention and timely referral to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.
Although melanoma tumors can exhibit aggressive behavior, early detection and adequate surgical treatment can provide a good prognosis. However, prevention of melanoma development is most important.
To achieve this goal, it is recommended to take a set of simple measures:
- Protect your skin with clothing in sunny weather and wear head coverings such as hats and sunhats.
- Use sunglasses.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight, especially between 11:00 and 16:00.
- Avoid visiting solariums.
- Apply sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to skin exposed to the sun.
- Monitor changes in pigmented nevi and be vigilant when they appear or change.
The fight against melanoma is based on two main principles: prevention and early diagnosis.
Prevention of melanoma includes protection from adverse factors, mainly from excessive ultraviolet radiation, and removal of potentially dangerous formations.
Early diagnosis of melanoma includes regular self- and mutual examinations of the skin, visits to a dermato-oncologist, photo-documentation and dermatoscopy of neoplasms, as well as excision of suspicious formations for histological examination.
Addressing these key challenges will help achieve real results in the fight against melanoma.
