THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PEDIATRICIAN IN PREVENTION OF MALIGNANT-MELANOMA

In the last decades the rates of malignant melanoma show a terrible incidence. First of all this is caused by elevated sun exposure of people with the skin-types I and II in their holidays. There are many case-controll-studies demonstrating that sun-exposure is of very high danger for children and adolescents. A significant correlation exists between sunburns before 20 years of age and melanoma-incidence. In the prophylaxis of malignant melanoma the paediatrician has the following four duties: warning of elevated sun exposure, knowledge of precursor lesions of melanoma (congenital and dysplastic nevi), knowledge and cure of patients with risk for malignant melanoma and knowledge of initial signs of malignant melanoma.