Better education about the harmful effects of the sun should be included in the school curriculum, Boffa Hospital's Dermatology Department head, Lawrence Scerri, insisted yesterday.
With the annual incidence of melanoma increasing by 84 per cent between 1993 and 2008, Dr Scerri stressed the impor-tance of better informing young people about the dark side of the sun in order to encourage them to be careful from a young age.
A recent study among close to 1,000 schoolchildren found that half the girls and 70 per cent of boys sunbathed between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., the hours con-sidered most dangerous for UV exposure.
"Although there is a high level of awareness about the harmful effects of the sun, their attitude still lags behind," Dr Scerri said during the launch of the annual melanoma campaign, which peaks on Melanoma Monday, on May 17.
With this in mind, the authorities are targeting this year's melanoma prevention campaign towards youngsters, urging them to "act cool in the sun" by protecting themselves.
"We are worried about what is happening around us because the incidence of melanoma is increasing, even in Malta," Dr Scerri said.
Between 1993 and 2008, the annual incidence among women almost doubled, from 11.6 cases per year to 22.5 cases. There was also a worrying increase in incidence among males - up from 9.4 per year to 16.3 cases.
Moreover, Malta saw an increase in mortality due to melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
This jumped up from an average of 4.5 annual cases between 1993 and 2000 to six cases between 2001 and 2008. One of the fatalities was under 30, underlining the fact that melanoma does not strike only older people, even though it is most common among those aged between 35 and 64 years.
Although melanoma is the least common form of skin cancer, it contributed to 75 per cent of global skin cancer deaths, about 48,000 a year, Charmaine Gauci, head of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department, said.
Consultant dermatologist Michael Boffa underlined the importance of early diagnosis, which led to a better prognosis. Treatment includes surgically cutting the affected part of the skin.
The survival rate drops if the cancer spreads. Joseph Pace, general secretary of the European Association of Dermatology and Venereology, said the five-year survival rate if the cancer spread to the lymph nodes stood between 30 and 40 per cent while there was only a12 per cent five-year survival rate when melanoma spread to vital organs, like the brain or liver.
Highlighting the importance of early diagnosis, Dr Pace said technological advances were helping dermatologists diagnose even small lesions.
He said a computerised digital dermoscope had helped diagnose six melanomas in the past six months, one of which was in the groin of an 18-year-old.
He added that, in an attempt to encourage more people to have regular examinations, he would be offering free examinations once a month at Chemimart in Floriana.
Check-ups will also be held at Boffa Hospital on May 17. People who want to make an appointment for melanoma screening can phone on 2298 7015 or 2298 7153.