Those in charge of the Melanoma Unit of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona estimate that it affects between 7 and 12 out of every 100,000 people each year.
Melanoma, the most aggressive and deadly skin cancer, continues to spread among the Spanish population, which has traditionally been less prone to suffer the consequences of excessive exposure to the sun than the citizens of northern Europe.
In the last ten years, the number of people affected by this type of cancer has increased by 50% in Catalonia, and now affects between 7 and 12 out of every 100,000 people each year, according to those responsible for the Melanoma Unit of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
This skin tumor, which half a century ago was considered in Spain a pathology linked to those who worked at sea or in the fields, is now diagnosed in young people between 16 and 18 years of age, says dermatology specialist Susana Puig, a member of the medical staff of Hospital Clínic. “The age of diagnosis has dropped and is now at the age of puberty. I have patients as young as 16,” she explains.
It is the most common cancer in women between 25 and 29 years of age, followed by breast cancer, and the most common in men between 30 and 35 years of age, preceding lung and colon cancer. Detected when it accumulates more than four millimeters in thickness or when it bleeds, melanoma is fatal for more than 70% of those affected, says Puig. “The only advantage we have now is that many cases are detected at earlier stages, when it is sufficient to surgically remove the tumor, without following any further treatment”.
Melanoma, the warning signs
Apart from the convenience of not staying in the sun for long periods of time, statically and in bathing suits in the middle of the day, between 1 and 5 p.m., especially if they are children, dermatologists advise to be on the alert for changes in their skin. Among the signs that should be cause for medical consultation, they indicate: new spots and freckles, with irregular edges, that change color or increase in size; those that become rough, swollen or shiny; those that look like small and very dark lentils and grow rapidly; and those that bleed or itch.
“Whoever gathers more than 100 freckles scattered over the body should consult a doctor, even if these spots do not change color or size,” warns the dermatologist. “And when a specialist analyzes the freckle that is the reason for the consultation, the rest of the body should be checked, which is not always done”. This control should include the parts where the sun never touches, the interdigital areas and the scalp, among other places.
Many melanomas suffered in adulthood are the result of sunburns produced during childhood or adolescence, warns the doctor. Children under 7 years of age, she points out, should not be in the sun even with sunscreen and clothing. The sun reflects on their bodies with a higher intensity than it does on adults, a fact that leads to rapid and highly dangerous burns, she insists.