Melanoma is increasing among young people. Skin cancer ‘more aggressive and difficult to treat’ it is “in Italy the third most frequent cancer under the age of 50 in both sexes”. And “in recent decades the average age at diagnosis has dropped to the point that today it is one of the most common cancers among adults under 30“. An alarming trend, photographed by the Aiom-Airtum 2023 Report on ‘Cancer numbers in Italy’ and reported by the Airc which launches an early summer appeal: protect yourself under the sun, recommends the Foundation for cancer research, announcing the Spiaggia Rosa project. “A collaboration with a seaside resort in Grado”, in the province of Gorizia, “to inform and raise public awareness on the adoption of healthy behaviors”.
In Italy, recalls the Airc, Melanoma affects one in 55 men and one in 73 women during their lifetime. Last year, approximately 12,700 new diagnoses were estimated, of which 7,000 were among men and 5,700 among women. 5-year survival has risen, reaching 88% among males and 91% among females, but “prevention” remains the experts’ watchword.
Risk factors and prevention
“Among the main risk factors is excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, mostly conveyed by the sun”, underlines the Airc which relaunches some practical advice. “Sun, instructions for use: avoid the hottest hours and do not expose yourself for long periods; apply a sunscreen with a protection factor greater than 30 several times; wears sunglasses, hat and t-shirt; do not expose babies and small children directly to the sun”.
And then pay attention to moles: “Periodically check if there are new formations on the skin or if pre-existing moles have changed appearance. If you notice one or more of these signs, contact your doctor for a check-up”, suggests the Foundation, recalling the ABCDE rule : “A, asymmetry of the spot; B, irregular and jagged edges; C, color of the spot very dark and with different gradations; D, dimensions greater than 6 millimeters or increasing; E, evolution of the appearance of a spot, like a mole that becomes smooth to wrinkled or begins to burn, leak, or bleed.”
The ‘Pink Beach’ initiative
Airc dedicates an article to prevention under the sunentire section of his website and this year he ‘comes down to the beach’.
“For the summer season – informs the Foundation – Grado Impianti Turistici SpA (Git) gives life to Spiaggia Rosa, an awareness and fundraising project to support the work of Airc researchers. One hundred pink umbrellas color a portion of the beach of the Friulian town, to promote the adoption of healthy habits, underlining the importance of prevention. The entrance and walk to the beach have been personalized with materials dedicated to how to expose yourself to the sun while reducing risks, a varied and balanced diet and activity. physics. The umbrellas at the Spiaggia Rosa also feature a QR code to access the dedicated area of the Airc website, Healthy Life with Airc, where you can find further information on these topics, in Italian and English”. Again: “From theory to practice, ‘pink salad’ is available in Git bars and restaurants, a dish that complies with the indications of the World Cancer Research Fund”.
Not just prevention. “The project concretely supports research: for the entire 2024 bathing season, Git will allocate 8% of the proceeds from the Pink Beach to Airc, net of VAT”.
“The increase in survival” of melanoma patients, the Foundation points out, “is undoubtedly due to the greater attention to sun exposure and the preventive behaviors adopted, in addition to the constant progress of research in the treatment of these tumors. Immunotherapy, in particular, has represented an important change of direction for many solid tumors starting from melanoma, a pathology which in the last decade has benefited from the improvement in prognosis, thanks to the introduction of molecularly targeted drugs and immunotherapy treatments” .
Airc is on the front line. “One of the ‘5 per thousand’ programs supported” by the Foundation, he explains, “is the one led by Maria Rescigno, full professor of General Pathology, vice-rector with responsibility for research at Humanitas University and Group Leader of the Mucosal Immunology Unit and Microbiota at Humanitas Research Hospital. The aim of the program is to evaluate, through rigorous preclinical and clinical studies, the effectiveness of new therapeutic vaccines administered to patients with metastatic melanoma and sarcoma, in order to enhance the immune response. Significant progress has been made in the preclinical development process of the vaccine for melanoma patients: in particular, a series of fundamental activities has been completed to introduce a type of innovative treatment currently in production into clinical trials”. It is possible to multiply the results of Airc cancer research by entering the tax code 80051890152 in the tax return.
The Foundation is committed to informing the public about the risks and benefits of the sun even in pharmacies. “Thanks to the partnership with the national Federfarma, with which a three-year Memorandum of Understanding was signed in March 2024, the ‘Together for prevention’ project was launched which involves the dissemination of information materials on habits and behaviors most appropriate to adopt to reduce the risk of cancer. During the summer – concludes Airc – a content dedicated to how to protect yourself from the sun was also created, shared with around 18 thousand pharmacies associated with Federfarma, so that “you can see the ‘crosses'”. can convey correct information to citizens”.
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