Nuclear Oncology

Archive for the ‘Skin Cancer’ Category

Knowing how long you can spend in the sun, without running the risk of ultraviolet rays damage the skin, it is now possible thanks to a system that calculates the appropriate period of exposure to solar radiation, according to the skin of each person and the place where you are.

With this invention seeks to reduce the incidence of skin cancer. “The software determines the maximum recommended exposure to solar UV radiation, including the use of sunscreen, for people with different skin types displayed at any time and day of the year,” he told EFE Rubén Piacentini, director of Institute of Physics of the city of Rosario Argentina (IFIR), which developed the project.

According to the Argentine newspaper Infobae, the system can be installed on any computer and was created with the collaboration of researchers from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, Argentina and the Foundation Skin Cancer.

How to use

For information, the user must enter your skin type, the kind of surface you are (sand, water or concrete), time of day and geographic location in which you, as the height or snow can increase the risk of radiation by 60 percent.
Sunbathing without dying in the attempt

The software was designed to calculate the data anywhere in Argentina, although “you can develop a similar application to another country or region, with the right information,” says Piacentini.

In fact, the IFIR has already started negotiations with regional governments and organizations in Ecuador and Brazil to implement this program called UVARG (Software for the estimation of sun exposure in Argentina).

Advantage

“The software allows to know instantly and in real time the danger of ultraviolet radiation, but can also predict months in advance what will be the risk, making it a useful tool for planning any vacation destination,” said the scientist.

Another use would be for workers who perform outside, since the system tells them what protections they should take.

The system also alerts “on special situations such as the development of the ozone hole or about significant changes in the average value of this layer in future years,” said Piacentini.

The scientists who developed this software tool say that if people respect the times suggested sun exposure reduces the risk of diseases like skin cancer.

Currently, this disease is the most common cancers and the number of cases is growing at a rate of 5 percent annually, according to international statistics.

Meanwhile, each year 600 people die in Argentina due to the disease and detected 1,400 cases new, according to the Argentina Society of Dermatology (SAD).

Advances in skin oncology are still significant with respect to investigations carried so far. The good results we are getting help to that involvement of these carcinomas in adjacent cells are smaller. Skin cancers are becoming more prevalent because, among other factors, increased life expectancy of the population. Dr. Paul Umberger, professor and head of dermatology Sagrat Cor University Hospital and director of the Clinic Paul Umberger Corachán of Barcelona, highlights the usefulness of photodynamic therapy in skin cancer removal.

Effect on Skin Cancer
Recent epidemiological data place the incidence of skin cancer in a risk of 33% in a Caucasian person, that is, with white skin. Once that individual has had a cancer of this type there is a 50% chance of another appears elsewhere in the body. In the dermatology department headed by Dr. Umberger carcinomas are about 20 a week from 300 patients undergoing consultation.

Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy became part of the treatment a couple of years ago and since then became the star treatment in dermatology. Involves the application of a substance that is left on the skin for three hours. Cover with foil and after that time active oxygen molecules on cancer cells where the damage. The truth is that the preparation is somewhat laborious and in some areas of the body, such as the scalp, can be annoying. Photodynamic therapy is selective because it affects only the tumor cells, respecting those who are healthy. Without doubt, this has been a step forward in the treatment of those lesions.

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