SKIN CANCER | “Sun damage does not appear until years later”

Remember the importance of prevention and skin cancer awareness It is one of the great challenges facing this June 13. In Spain, more than 78,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed annually, of which 95% present non-melanoma skin cancer. Regarding the most serious skin cancer, melanoma, the incidence in Spain it is on the rise. The annual rate has increased from 2003 to 2024 in both men and women, registering an annual increase of 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively. In 2024, it is estimated that 7,881 new cases of cutaneous melanoma will be recorded.

On the occasion of World Skin Cancer Day, Lift-EMV brought together a relevant group of professionals at its facilities in a meeting moderated by Silvia Tomás, director of Institutional Relations of Prensa Ibérica in Valencia, with the aim of raising awareness among the population about this disease: how to prevent it, detect the warning signs early and publicize the most advanced treatments. This annual event was attended by personalities from the healthcare world such as Dr. Onofre Sanmartín, head of the IVO Dermatology service; he Dr. Hector Aguilar, assistant doctor of the IVO Medical Oncology service; he Dr. Juan Sandovaldirector of the IIS La Fe Epigenomics Unit and Leonor Prietoscientific director of La Roche-Posay Laboratories.

Broadly speaking, this disease is classified into two groups: nonmelanoma skin cancer (tumors that grow mainly in the neckline and hands area) and melanomas (with the potential for metastasis). The warning signs of non-melanoma skin cancer should not be underestimated, otherwise they could become “a serious health problem if they remain untreated for too long,” said Dr. Onofre Sanmartín.

The experts stressed the need to raise awareness in society about skin cancer, considered the most common disease in the world. To do this, they referred to the need for early diagnosis. It all starts with the self-exploration. “The appearance of a new mole or changes in an existing one in its shade or size, an itchy sensation or small wounds that do not heal are reasons for consulting a dermatologist,” explained Sanmartín.

Solar capital

The sun has a ‘ying and a yang’. It provides multiple benefits but at the same time ultraviolet B radiation is present, the “enemy in the shadows”, as Leonor Prieto defined. It does not burn, but over time it produces “alterations” such as sun allergy, hyperpigmentation either immunosuppression. And we must not forget that the effect of the sun is “cumulative” and sometimes its effects are internal, so “it is important to ask professionals to have the best education against the sun,” he stressed.

In this regard, Dr. Sanmartín coined the term ‘solar capital‘ to refer to the amount of sun that the skin is able to receive without damage. “A person with little solar capital could develop skin cancer after the third burn.”

And one of the main problems is that “sun damage does not appear until years later.” That is why photoprotection plays a key role in combating it. Wear sunscreen, avoid the middle hours of the day or spend fewer hours, look for the shade and the physical photoprotection —t-shirt, cap or glasses— are healthy habits to show off beautiful, well-cared for skin.

Although the sun cream application It is the most used method, “only 27% of the population uses photoprotection every day and 35% does not directly relate the sun to skin cancer,” said Leonor Prieto.

In this sense, prevention is crucial. Who are those most at risk? People with “history of melanoma, those who have many moles, those who have suffered numerous sunburns and those who detect a lesion», listed Sanmartín. And it is estimated that in Spain, of those over 65 years of age, “one in four will have non-melanoma skin cancer.” Fortunately, despite the fact that melonoma’s incidence is gradually increasing, mortality has remained “flat.”

Photoprotection

The role of the pharmaceutical industry is essential to ensure that the population acquires good habits such as applying sunscreen daily. The best sunscreen is the one you put on and laboratories keep that in mind. Creating more attractive creams, of different textures or mists to wear over makeup is its goal. The expert and director of La Roche-Posay stated that they are focused on search for “filters that cover the entire spectrum —especially ultraviolet—, although there is no 100% photoprotector. Another factor to take into account is homogeneity. Not spreading the cream correctly “can reduce the protection factor by up to 50%.” And photoprotection is not a question of selling more, but rather a «matter of public health,” he added.

In relation to this, there are people who refuse to use creams because they have “endocrine disruptors». In this regard, Prieto explained that European regulations are very rigorous and specify “what products and in what concentration” creams can contain.

The awareness campaigns They are another great tool that works in favor of experts to raise awareness among the population about the importance of taking care of their skin. It has been proven that they take about 30 years to “take hold” and there is evidence of their success. There have been them in Australia for decades and such well-known people as Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman spoke about real cases radically changed the numbers of skin cancer from the country.

Artificial intelligence

With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence there are “devices that allow taking a total photo of the body with 40 cameras capable of detecting which injuries are likely to be dangerous and which should be analyzed,” said Sanmartín.

Without a doubt, AI facilitates the work of doctors and will revolutionize the early detection of skin cancer in many fields. In the words of Dr. Sandoval, a “holistic approach” cancer, being able to approach it from different approaches. In most of the projects it carries out, it tries to add this “new layer of regulation that could be AI” and that is going to be another “paradigm shift». The image and the analysis it provides are very important, but to be able to organize all that extracted information, a “multidisciplinary team” is needed to get the maximum efficiency out of all that amount of data – we are talking about terabytes. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s closer than it seems.

Treatments and advances

Currently there are different treatments. First of all, it would be necessary to “locate” the lesion and the type of tumor to be able to use the multiple therapies available such as surgery, radiotherapy or immunotherapy, “the approach must be multidisciplinary.” Immunotherapy has precisely represented one of the great advances, especially with checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies. “Biomarkers have been identified that have helped predict the prognosis,” explained Dr. Héctor Aguilar.

Immunotherapy has been a paradigm shift in the last decade, which consists of helping the immune system fight cancer. This has achieved that «stage 4 patients with metastasis improve their life expectancy and become long-term patients. He is saving many lives », explained Dr. Juan Sandoval.

Investigation

Furthermore, as a researcher, Sandoval highlighted the role of Epigenomics to “find predictive biomarkers that allow us to predict whether the patient can progress or not and to be able to indicate to clinicians, oncologists and dermatologists the best treatment for each specific case.”

He also pointed out the need to invest in projects with cutting-edge technology to be “competitive.” Invest today in science It may mean that in the future “surgical operations will not have to be performed” and it can be treated in another way.

The dangerous fashion of solar callus that circulates on social networks

The hoax of ‘solar callus‘ is widespread on TikTok. This dangerous trend consists of exposing yourself to the sun without protection and continuously so that the skin develops tolerance to the sun and ultraviolet radiation. This practice is totally discouraged and can cause significant damage to the skin ranging from aging, sun spots and burns to skin cancer.

This thesis that remains mere “words” that does harm. «The solar callus does not exist, it is not true and it must be radically denied. Subjecting the skin to inadequate solar irradiation to harden it does not lead to anything other than sun damage,” said the renowned Dr. Onofre Sanmartín at the meeting organized by Lift-EMV.

This dangerous practice generated debate among experts, who wanted to send a message to the population, especially the youngest, about the problem of social networks with respect to the health information that is available. It is true that this type of content reaches a much broader audience and in a more agile way than an advertising campaign. The danger lies in the data provided, since many of them do not respond to any study nor are they endorsed by professionals in this health field.

The experts agreed on the need for a content regulation that are poured into the networks. For his part, Dr. Onofre considered that these statements without scientific basis spread through social networks should be regulated because “they go against public health. Freedom of expression has a limit and the limit would be here. These influencers use technical words but when you follow their speech you can see that they don’t know what they are talking about, it is unfortunate verbiage… like trying to defend that the earth is flat. More “social responsibility is needed from those who publish this type of content and from the authorities to prevent people from replicating these attitudes that are erroneous,” Dr. Aguilar also indicated.

«We are going to have to make ourselves tiktokers to try to reverse information like this“complained Dr. Sandoval, who was astonished at the impunity of some influencers who exert a “bad influence” under the umbrella of digital platforms to offer content that is neither verified nor based on scientific and scientific sources. It confuses the younger population, which is the majority that consumes this type of information.