Increase in skin cancer is alarming
Rector of the University of Akdeniz, Prof. Dr. Özlenen Özkan and Faculty of Medicine Faculty member of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and Prof. dr. dr. Tuncer Karpuzoğlu Organ Transplantation Institute Director Prof. dr. dr. With the participation of Ömer Özkan, a melanoma information meeting was held with the participation of specialists and physician assistants. During the meeting, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty Member of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Prof. Dr. Ömer Özkan gave a presentation titled “The role of plastic surgery in BRAF+adjuvant melanoma treatment: surgical approach to treatment and excision criteria”.
Increased incidence of skin cancer
During the meeting, Rector Prof. Dr. Özlenen Özkan’s determination attracted attention. Considering the increase in skin cancers, Prof. Dr. Özkan said: “Especially in Antalya, we see these cases 4-5 times a week, while I saw them once a week or not at all when I was an assistant. I’m curious about this, I think the increase in skin cancer (melanoma) needs to be explored,” he said.
First suspected solar effect
Prof. Dr. Tuncer Karpuzoğlu Organ Transplantation Institute Director Prof. dr. Dr Ömer Özkan drew attention to the effect of the sun on the increase. Prof. Dr. Özkan said: “People are thought to be more affected by the sun’s UV rays due to the thinning of the ozone layer. Exposure to sunlight is one of the leading causes of skin cancer. For this reason, skin cancer usually develops in areas exposed to the sun, such as the head, neck, and arms. People with fair skin, people with easy freckles, people with a large number of nevi, people with changes in the size and shape of the nevus, people with a family history of skin cancer, those who are exposed to too much sunlight, patients with non- healing wounds, and those receiving radioactive radiation therapy are at greater risk.
“Changing immune system can be effective”
However, saying that melanoma occurs in many places on the body where there is no sun, Prof Dr Ömer Özkan said: “This finding also sounds like something related to the immune system rather than connecting it to the sun. we eat, drink and live affects our immune system. Changes in people’s immune system can also be effective in the increase. It’s not a microbial disease that we know of, but I think it can change itself instantly, like bacteria and viruses.
Pay attention to the change in the skin
Özkan stated that skin cancer can occur in a broad spectrum and said: “Various lesions occurring in the body should also be suspected in terms of cancer. They may also appear as a small pink mass or pit, white-colored, scaly or crusted form, and non-healing wounds. Such different lesions that later appear on the skin should be evaluated. In contrast, with a pre-existing nevus, subsequent growth, asymmetry, marginal irregularity, color difference, hair growth, bleeding and itching, redness and crusting should not be overlooked and should be assessed in terms of cancer. The presence of these changes is accepted as a reason for surgical removal of moles and pathological examination.
The importance of early diagnosis
Özkan states that there are three types: basal cell cancer (BCC), squamous cell cancer (SCC) and malignant melanoma (MM), saying: “BCC; It is the most common form of skin cancer. Progression is slow, it can take years, it spreads locally to the surrounding tissue, it does not metastasize. VCA; It is another common type of skin cancer. It commonly appears on the lips, face, and ears. It can spread both locally to surrounding tissues and to distant organs via lymph nodes. Early diagnosis is important. While it is possible to treat completely with an early diagnosis, it is life-threatening if left untreated. MM; It is the rarest but most dangerous form of skin cancer. Early diagnosis is very important, only if detected at an early stage can it be fully treated. For this reason, it is recommended to evaluate suspected MM lesions in the body by taking a biopsy without delay.
Treatment Methods
Özkan stated that surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy are among the current treatment options and said: “The treatment consists of removing the cancer from the body through a surgical procedure. The extent of treatment varies depending on the location of the cancer, its size, and whether it has spread to other organs. If it is a small lesion, it is sufficient to remove only the lesion under local anesthesia. If there is a spread, it may be necessary to remove the area where the lesion is located, sometimes tissue grafting to fill the remaining space, cancer treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
At the meeting, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member of Medical Oncology Department Assoc. dr. Mustafa Karaca, “Tafinlar + Mekinist Treatment in BRAF+ Adjuvant Melanoma Patients”, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Lecturer Prof. dr. Dr. Ayşe Akman gave a presentation entitled “The role of dermatology in the treatment of BRAF+ adjuvant melanoma: the importance of dermatological examination and self-screening”. Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member of the Department of Medical Oncology Assoc. Dr Mustafa Karaca said: “Malignant melanoma is one of the cancers with an increasing incidence in our country and in the world, and the 5-year survival results in patients who were diagnosed with this aggressive skin cancer in the early period are quite satisfactory. Therefore, people should turn to the dermatology and plastic surgery outpatient clinics, without wasting time on all sorts of changes in their skin. Although the aggressive skin cancer called malignant melanoma is a skin cancer that spreads very quickly, with the emergence of smart targeted therapies, first in 2010 and then immunotherapy treatments in 2015, these drugs are very actively used in this type of cancer, and there are satisfactory results have been obtained for our patients said.
At the Oncology Center of Akdeniz University, Rector Prof. Dr. Karaca said that in the Oncology Genetic Research Laboratory, which was established as a result of the importance Özlenen Özkan attached to cancer treatment, patients with malignant melanoma were first examined in detail researched (with the NGS method), and then smart targeted drugs or immunotherapy. medicines were given to the right patients Our university, which has been practiced for a long time and is one of the few centers in the world in the field of organ transplantation with successful transplants, has become one of the few centers where the latest treatments are applied in the area of oncology, where dizzying developments are taking place, with the investments made for detailed genetic research of cancer cells.