Long hours of manual labor under the sun can have serious effects on health us. Farmers, breeders, fishermen, builders, people who work outdoors in a country with almost year-round sunshine are vulnerable to developing some type of skin cancer. Having this data in mind, the Deputy Minister of Health Irini Agapidakis announced, among other health prevention programs, the launch of a program dedicated to skin cancer, which will focus on occupational sun exposure in the region. It is estimated that in our country the incidence of melanoma, the most serious form skin cancerare seven cases per 100,000 men and eight per 100,000 women, i.e. about 1,300 cases per year.
“A study that we carried out as a clinic on a population sample from northern Greece showed that the above categories of professionals show skin cancer more often and possibly of a more aggressive form”, Dr. Elisabeth Lazaridou explains to “K”., professor of Dermatology – Venereology at AUTH, 2nd Dermatology Clinic in “Papageorgiou” and president of the Hellenic Society of Dermatology, welcoming the ministry’s initiative. “A similar effort in some German states had excellent results,” he says emphatically. “Citizens were called for screening, the melanomas that were found were at an early stage and all the others received instructions from the health professionals.”
It should be noted that the most common form of skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma, followed by squamous cell carcinoma and finally melanoma, which is also the most dangerous. In the specialist clinic for his skin cancer “Papageorgiou” hospital in Thessaloniki a large number of people who have worked in the countryside are flocking. “We’re looking at a lot of people, mostly older men, in whom we’re finding field carcinogenesis due to chronic exposure,” she describes. “These people will develop cancerous lesions, but we have treatments (creams or photodynamic therapy) to treat these conditions.”
However, he reckons that “as a country we are doing well; we are now happy to diagnose melanoma very often at an early stage and to see people coming in for preventive screening”. The informative actions that have been implemented for many years have contributed to this level of awareness. “It is indicative that in Greece, on the initiative of the Hellenic Dermatology and Venereology Society, we had established a whole week of free examination on the occasion of European Melanoma Day“, reminds Dr. Lazaridou.
“Last year was the first year that an awareness campaign was held in our city with the provision of a free examination”, notes from her side in “K” Amalia Christopoulou, dermatologist in Lamia (in the past private individuals provided free visits on the occasion of World Day). She and another colleague surveyed a crowd of people. “We identified three patients with melanoma and countless cases with other forms of skin cancer,” recalls Ms. Christopoulou, who estimates that the world is responding to similar initiatives. “I have many patients who work outdoors and are actually exposed to more than average sun, I encourage them to get sun protective clothing and hats, which are now on the market, and I recommend medicated sun creams with an SPF of even 100,” he explains. the same. Regarding the mentality, “I notice a difference in the individual prevention measures depending on the age of the person I have in front of me.”
Dr. Lazaridou advises those exposed to the sun to protect their neck, as it is at risk of photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. “Australians have hats made for this purpose,” he notes.
Stricter guidelines
The guidelines, which much of the population now seems to have internalized, are becoming more stringent due to climate change. “We now have intense sunshine in the winter as well, during which we must protect our skin, just like in the summer, use sunscreen for all parts of the body that are not covered” comments Dr. Lazaridou. “I make a special appeal to men who are bald”, he underlines, “to wear sunscreen or a hat, which is more favorable to them, because they very often develop actinic hyperkeratosis, which is a precursor stage of squamous cell type cancer”.
Imports of expensive drugs
He seems to want to lay the foundations for stricter control of the import of expensive medicines Ministry of Health with a relevant amendment, which comes only a few 24 hours after the minister’s public statements Adonis Georgiadis regarding the exorbitant costs of IFET (Pharmaceutical Research and Technology Institute), which is materially responsible for the importation of preparations that do not have a marketing license in Greece. The case of importing the drug Relyvrio has preceded it, which is estimated to have cost the country 15 million euros last year. It is therefore proposed to establish an unpaid review committee, which will consist of qualified doctors, pharmacists and health economists, and will give an opinion on individual requests for drugs imported for the first time into the country based on specific criteria. Their opinions, however, will not be binding, since as stated, “the Minister of Health can decide differently from the opinion of the control committee”.
2024-03-14 21:51:00