Gozo-wide melanoma study underway

A study that will screen all Gozitans aged 16 and over for melanoma incidence is underway, the first such exercise to be held in Gozo.

The Department of Information said the study - which started a week ago and will span over three years - began in San Lawrenz.

Melanoma is a deadly skin cancer which has an incidence of 12 - 15 cases per 100,000 people. Early detection of the cancer is imperative for the reduction of mortality since there is still no cure for advanced cutaneous melanoma.

The diagnosis in Gozo is being carried out through a computerised system using imaging and completely non-invasive techniques. An innovative system invented in 1987 by two Italian experts is being used. The system can automatically analyse the spot under evaluation in real time and compare the values with a database of 145,000 digitalised images of all variants of melanoma at a rate of 15 lesions per second. The system will automatically give its probability of malignancy with a beep sound on a hand-held computer.

The department said Gozo residents are being contacted by their respective local councils and residents from the smaller villages will be screened first.