What care should be taken into account to avoid skin cancer

Every June 13, World Skin Cancer Day, to raise awareness of the importance of skin care and prevention of skin tumors. It is one of the most common types of cancer and What they can be more easily avoided by taking a few basic precautions. Because its signs can be seen very early, it can be detected at a very early stage. The main risk factor is exposure to UV rays, or the rays of the sun.

As recommended by the Ministry of Health, the following preventive measures are essential:

-Avoid sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

-In summer: cover yourself with clothes, a hat and sunglasses. Avoid wearing dark colored clothing

-Use a sunscreen over 30 SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

-Protect children especially from the sun. Babies under 1 year old should avoid exposure completely

Consulted by Infobae, the doctor Yanina Pflüger (MN 120531) UBA Medical Oncologist Head of the Melanoma and Sarcoma Department Alexandre Fleming Institute, he precised : “Melanoma is a rare malignant tumor that occurs due to an atypical overgrowth of melanocytes, the cells that give us pigmentation in the skin.. There are different types of melanoma, the most frequent affect the skin and to a lesser extent are those which affect the eyes and mucous membranes. The latter have a worse prognosis”.

“Most often it occurs on the skin, in the case of a new or pre-existing lesion, usually pigmented, although sometimes not, which may change its characteristics, be it color, shape, size and present itching or bleeding due to minor trauma ‘, he added.

According to Pflüger, “in this situation, consultation with the dermatologist is essential to diagnose it and start its treatment and a fundamental element of prevention is to avoid the factors that provoke it, its main risk factor being exposure to the sun between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., skin burns in childhood, use of deckchairs ”.

Among the main ways to prevent it – said the Fleming Institute oncologist – is the education on the above, avoid sun exposure at peak times, the correct use of cream with an adequate sun protection factor, the use of light clothing if possible with UV filter and a wide-brimmed hat. The use of tanning beds is also contraindicated. Dermatological control is essential which is periodic at least once a year.

“Treatment for melanoma varies depending on the time of diagnosis. When the lesion is still on the skin, resection of the skin and sometimes of the regional lymph nodes is appropriate.. Then, the need to add or not add adjuvant treatment will be assessed. In cases where the disease is disseminated, there are currently new systemic treatments available for 10 years which consist of immunotherapy or therapies directed against the BRAF mutation in case of being a carrier ”, warned Yanina Pflüger.

And he added: “The results with the new treatment options are encouraging. There are patients who get prolonged responses after completing immunotherapy treatment and today they do not need treatment. Other patients using directed oral therapy may also remain on treatment for long periods of time.”. In conclusion, “Work is continuing to obtain even better results, so there are many drugs under investigation in which Argentina is participating. However, the best strategy is education and prevention to be able to diagnose the disease at stages before melanoma or at an early stage, ”explained the head of the Melanoma and Sarcoma service.

A promising study

In this context and in this month of awareness of Melanoma and World Melanoma Day, – cancer typified as the most aggressive of those that affect the skin -, adjuvant treatment after surgery has been shown to be beneficial for patients with lymph node involvement and cost effective for the health system in Argentina.

Posted in Oncology and therapy, this study carried out in Argentina showed that adjuvant treatment from MSD, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in scientific research, after complete resection, prolongs recurrence-free survival and improves quality of life in patients with stage III melanoma with lymph node involvement.

In addition, this adjuvant therapy in these patients (performed after surgery) has been shown to be cost-effective as it reduces the need for further surgeries and hospitalization for relapse, subsequent treatment, disease management and end-of-life care. . MSD immunotherapy has been shown to be very cost effective compared to watchful waiting in these patients.

also highlights the cutting-edge work of Argentine scientists who, through the CONICET and the Cancer with Science program of the Fundación Sales, develop a vaccine to increase the body’s anti-tumor response against melanoma, the most serious skin cancer. For more than 25 years, the research team led by Dr. Joseph mordoh works on the development of vaccine-based immunotherapy.

“In Phase I and II clinical trials, pioneers in our country, the vaccine has been shown to be safe, with very good tolerance and quality of life, and increased metastasis-free survival. distance of skin melanoma patients at risk of relapse, compared to treatment with medium doses of alpha interferon, ”said Dr. Mordoh.

And he added: “These clinical studies benefited participating patients and generated a valuable sample bank to continue to work on and understand the mechanisms underlying the observed clinical response.”.

Currently, research is focused on identifying the factors that determine whether or not patients respond to treatment. Although all patients have the same disease, melanoma, it remains to be seen which ones will have the best chance of generating an effective immune response to eradicate the tumor. By analyzing tumor cells and immune cells that infiltrate tumors, scientists seek to answer these questions and thus be able to improve the treatment of patients.

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