The skin cancer: the signs that should alert

with Jacques Bazex, dermatologist, member of the National Academy of Medicine
Carcinoma or melanoma, it is skin cancer since the 1960s that continues to grow. A figure: Approximately 90,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in France. In most cases these are carcinomas. It is they who are treated best. But melanoma, much more aggressive, continues to grow. The number is doubling every ten years. How to detect, treat and prevent these cancers? Answers with Jacques Bazex, dermatologist, member of the National Academy of Medicine.

It is obvious: a clear or milky skin is more prone to sunburn than dark skin or black. It also more likely to develop skin cancer after strong sunburn. "When the Irish and the English arrived in Australia to colonize this land, they developed many skin cancers," says Jacques Bazex.
But all is not about color! It seems that along with the pigmentation of the skin coexists genetic factors that predispose to developing melanoma. The sun would play in this case the trigger of something existing.
"There is also a tendency for those with moles are agitated" said our guest. "These are the dysplastic nevi (deform), which are much more sensitive to sun exposure."

Dysplastic nevi - ill-defined edge, varied coloration.

Attention. All skin cancers are not born of moles. In fact, less than a quarter of skin cancers are caused by a nevus. "Any skin lesion, if it is lightly colored, must be the arrival of a suspected melanoma, although this is not a mole," says Jacques Bazex.

Carcinomas and Mélamones: what differences?

Carcinomas account for 90% of cases of skin cancer. There are two forms:
Basal cell carcinomas. These are the most frequent and less severe. Squamous cell carcinomas are a little more difficult but removal is easy. "For carcinomas, always perform a histological examination and ensure that the removal is complete."

As for melanoma, less frequently, it is also much more aggressive. "If taken at the stage completely original, the prognosis is favorable." But he is more reserved when the melanoma has reached a certain development of melanocytes can reel off the rest of the body.
About treatments for melanoma, "at present, nothing is really valid. A drug has been marketed in the United States. It would work on a number of patients as anomalies. In France, interferons have not produced the results we expected, but they opened the way to therapy on immune responses. Work on the immune responses, that's what the school of Nantes. "

Prevention: the role of dermatologists and the role of patient

Remains prevention. As for the dermatologists, there are two schools: those that remove moles on areas of friction in a systematic way, and those who ask their patients to take pictures to observe changes in their moles. "What matters is to be monitored. Taking pictures is good, but we feel that the person concerned. " This should not be limited to visits to the dermatologist once a year. "Be very suspicious of any lesion appeared recently. The melanocyte is degenerate. The melanin granules will grow in a production irregular shape can expand, become nodular, may ulcerate or bleed ... We need to consider any injury, "explains Jacques Bazex. A mole near a nail in the palms, the soles of feet ... in short the whole area of ​​friction must be removed any doubt. "I prefer to remove a lesion or a mole for nothing rather than let it develop a potential cancer. Even after 30 years of experience, we always see some surprises. "

For parents, the message remains the same: protect your children. "Sunburn in childhood determine a part of the development of skin cancer." The weapons remain sunscreen with high protection and whose applications are updated regularly, the T-shirt and glasses.

The indoor tanning ...

For adults, the message is the same, plus a warning Jacques Bazex on tanning booths. "UVA rays you receive in tanning booths do not protect from the sun because UVA does not cause thickening of the skin as UVB. Not only do not protect UVA, but they began considerably your capital for solar as an interesting pigmentation, you will need a lot of UVA. However, they penetrate the skin to the skin cells and can cause injury eventually led to melanoma. However, there are cases where dermatologists are required to use the UVA for some treatments. "But to treat psoriasis, for example, doses of UVA are very low and administered in conjunction with a treatment ensuring the photosensitivity. By adding the amounts of UVA delivered in a treatment for psoriasis, we can not even half of what is delivered in a single tanning session ... Not to mention that we impose the supervision of a professional. "

Protection from the sun, avoid tanning booths, and see a dermatologist once a year: this is a summary of the three councils Jacques Bazex to limit the risk of skin cancer.