How many times have we been told: “wear sunblock, stay out of the hot sun, wear a hat”? How many times have we shrugged off the advice?

As residents of a Mediterranean island, the sun is part of our landscape and our life.

While the sun is a staple for us Maltese, foreigners often visit the island to get their fix of it.

The sun means warmth, light, life…  The sun also means skin cancer.

With all the benefits that the sun brings with it – it is the most natural way of getting vitamin D – we can no longer ignore that it is the main cause of the increased cases of skin cancer and melanoma.

Recently, Paul Spiteri Lucas, a former colleague at Times of Malta, bravely shared the heartbreaking story of how he lost his 35-year-old wife, Emanda, to melanoma.

In their case, it started with a mole on her arm. The mole oozed blood and she thought she may have hit it. But it was melanoma – and the cancer eventually spread to her chest and brain over the span of three years.

Paul gave a detailed account of the terrifying decline, which led to Emanda’s death last August.

His message is for people to protect themselves and their children from the sun by wearing sun protection and staying out of the sun during peak hours and to check any skin irregularities at once.

He emphasised that sun protection is not limited to spending hours on the beach. People who work in the sun need to protect themselves.

Consultant clinical oncologist Kelly Mifsud Taliana, who was Emanda’s oncologist, joined Paul’s call for awareness and prevention.

She urged people to be aware of any changes in moles and to speak up – as the earlier the cancer is detected, the better the treatment outcome. 

The ability of dermatologists to use advanced imaging technologies, such as dermoscopy, enables them to closely examine skin lesions that may otherwise be overlooked, providing a more accurate diagnosis and reducing the risk of missed cases.

Figures from the National Cancer Registry show that the number of skin cancer cases has doubled over the last decade, increasing from almost 650 in 2010 to nearly 1,170 cases in 2020.

While most of the cases of skin cancer recorded were non-melanoma skin cancer, which are highly treatable, there was a worrying trend in the rise in the number of cases of malignant melanoma.

In 10 years, the number of deaths also doubled from six to 12.

The incidence of cases can be attributed to increased sunlight exposure, environmental changes increasing the amount of radiation coming from the sun, increased awareness leading to increased diagnosis and an increase in population.

The thing with melanoma and skin cancer is that we can do something about it. We can prevent it by wearing sunblock, staying out of the sun and wearing protective clothing. If the damage was already done in the past – when there was less awareness – we need to speak up.

We need to monitor our bodies and the bodies of our loved ones because melanoma can start anywhere – including the back where people cannot notice it on their own body.

Just as people check their breasts for breast cancer and screen regularly for other cancers, the same needs to be done for skin cancer.

There must be regular self-checking and screening – and a national drive to encourage this.

No more shrugging off advice and no more shrugging off a change in a mole in the hope that it will go away.

The stakes are too high.