Skin cancer affects women more than men

Santo Domingo, DR
Of 451 cases diagnosed with some type of skin cancer, 57% corresponded to women and 43% to men, according to the statistics compared to 2021 of the Department of Surgery of the Dominican Dermatological Institute and Skin Surgery (IDCP).

“Of this incidence that we registered, 257 were in women, which is quite rare since international literature shows us that most cases of cancers are registered in men,” explained the head of that department, dermatologist-surgeon Luisa Gonzalez de Bogaert.

In this regard, the dermatologic surgeon Emma Guzmán adds that it must be taken into account that women have a greater culture of taking care of their skin than men, and gave as an example that “if a woman notices a lesion on her skin, she goes to the doctor faster than a man.”

She attributed this to the level of prolonged sun exposure incurred by human beings. “It has been proven that after 20 or 21 thousand continuous hours of sun exposure during the development of an individual’s life, this is another factor that can contribute to the development of some type of skin cancer,” she added.

Alert

On the occasion of last Monday’s commemoration of “World Skin Cancer Day,” the team of specialists led by Dr. Luisa Gonzalez de Bogaert and Dr. Emma Guzman alerted the population to go for an early checkup to take care of their skin and thus avoid any future complications.

Regarding the incidence of skin tumor cases registered in the department, Gonzalez de Bogaert highlighted that they registered basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and basal squamous cell carcinoma.

“Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma are the most frequent skin cancers affecting the population,” she said.

About Basal Cell Carcinoma, he described that the department received 311 cases, of which 59% (183) corresponded to the female gender, and 41% (128) were male.

Gonzalez de Bogaert pointed out that it generally manifests itself on the parts of the body exposed to the sun, especially on the head, neck, and part of the chest. Less frequently, it can occur in the genital area.

“Basal cell carcinoma appears as a change in the skin, for example, a growth or an ulcer that does not heal. These skin changes (lesions) generally have the characteristics of a pearly or skin-colored lump that is translucent,” describes Dr. Gonzalez.