Skin Cancer Prevention and Screening in the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

Skin cancer is among the most common types of cancer. The incidence of skin cancer is very high and raising worldwide, especially its most serious and aggressive form, melanoma. Severe childhood sunburn and long term sun exposure over many years are the leading risk factors for skin cancer. Macedonia is situated in the region with high UV index of radiation and has an average annual incidence of skin cancer, compared with other countries in Europe and in the world. Almost all skin cancers are preventable and they are highly curable if detected and treated early. Even malignant melanoma is almost 100 percent curable if detected early, before the cancer has invaded into the deeper layers of the skin. Since the year 2005 a new technology, dermatoscopy, has been introduced in the routine practice at the Clinic of Dermatology at the Clinical Center in Skopje. This new method of skin cancer detection makes possible diagnosis of melanoma in in situ stadium. It was the starting point for multiple activities and programs, which the Clinic has undertaken within the last two years, for prevention, screening and early detection of the skin cancer, as well as managing further appropriate cure. A new dermato-oncology unit was founded within the Clinic of Dermatology. Currently it is engaged in: clinical protocols of diagnosis and prevention, educational activities and informative campaigns, education of medical staff for working with this category of patients, selection of patients into groups (patients with low and high risk for developing skin cancer) and their followup in regular intervals, creating medical records in electronic form for each patient, promotion of dermatoscopy as a method, use of modern information and communication technologies (telemedicine, teledermatology) and active participation in the international activities for skin cancer control.