GHA finds sharp increase in melanoma rates

The number of melanomas diagnosed by the GHA has sharply increased over recent years with Director of Public Health Dr Helen Carter encouraging the public to attend a skin cancer screening day this Sunday.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Gibraltar and results in a third of all cancers diagnosed locally.

Most cases are mild with minimally invasive or topical treatments.

But melanomas are a cause for concern with 20 cases diagnosed in 2023.

This marked a sharp rise after around six or seven cases were diagnosed in 2021 and 14 cases in 2022.

Dr Carter said the GHA will be monitoring the melanoma rates very carefully to see if the upward trend will continue this year.

The GHA is offering 400 appointments on Sunday, May 12, and is urging anyone with skin concerns, particularly a new or undiagnosed pigmented changing growth, to book an appointment.

“There are two different types of skin cancer, melanomas and non-melanomas,” Dr Carter said.

“The difference between them is non-melanomas are very superficial, fortunately they are the more common ones and can be easier to treat, if there’s any good news on skin cancer that’s the good news.”

Dr Carter advised that signs of non-melanomas are changing mole size, shape, colour, and texture.

“It’s the melanomas that we’re worried about,” she said.

“Melanomas tend to be slightly deeper skin cancers and the reason we worry about them is they can spread earlier to other parts of the body.”

“It’s the melanomas that have grown a lot in the last year.”

The increase in melanomas, Dr Carter said, is due to the warm sunny climate in Gibraltar.

The GHA has also found that younger people in their 30s and 40s are being diagnosed with melanoma due to their lifetime exposure to the sun.

Last year the GHA saw 360 people in their annual screening day, of those 109 people went on to have further assessment or treatment.

Dr Carter urged anyone with skin cancer symptoms to see a GP immediately and not to wait for the annual clinic.

“It’s never too early to start thinking about sunscreen, that’s your prevention,” Dr Carter said.

She advises people should apply a sunscreen minimum of factor 30.

“My advice is always use a higher factor than you think you need, apply more than you think you need and apply more frequently than you think you need,” she said.

She also recommends people use factor 50 on their face, adding that the sun can age the skin.

She added that people should be apply a golf ball amount of sunscreen on their body and to reapply often.

Appointments can be booked for this year’s Skin Care Screening Clinic held on Sunday, May 12, by calling the Primary Care Centre on Tel: 200 52441 between 1pm and 2pm.

Appointments will be booked on a first come, first served basis and if appointments are no longer available, the GHA strongly encourages that an appointment is booked with a GP instead