This condition, which initially starts with a small swelling on the skin, attracts attention as the swelling increases and these swollen areas increase. In fact, skin cancer is a disease that is quite easy to detect, but sometimes when these symptoms are overlooked, various disaster scenarios can inevitably occur. Especially if you are Israeli!

So far everything is ok, but What is the main reason Israel is at the forefront of skin cancer?

First, let’s talk briefly about what skin cancer is.

Color pigments called melanin, which give the skin its color, It is produced by skin cells called melanocytes. Skin cancer occurs as a result of the uncontrolled division and proliferation of these cells. This condition is also called melanoma or melanoma.

At this point, the first question that comes to mind is what factor or factors cause skin cancer. According to expert research approximately 90% of skin cancer casesIt is caused by too much exposure to the ultraviolet rays of our beloved sun.

Surprisingly, the rate of skin cancer worldwide is; This is much more than the total number of patients with lung, breast and colon cancer combined. I think we underestimate the sun!

There are also situations other than the sun that cause skin cancer. According to a 2001 study, the risk of skin cancer increases if someone has been burned more than five times and has many moles.

When such a condition is diagnosed early, survival rate 98%is. We see that, as with most diseases, early diagnosis is of great importance with skin cancer.

On the other hand, people with a gene mutation called BRCA2 have a much higher risk of developing skin cancer, as well as other types of cancer. One in 400 people carries the BRCA mutation.

So if you ask what the biggest reason is why the rate of skin cancer among Israelis is so high, the answer is that they get a lot of sun exposure.

For example, between 2000 and 2003, approximately 100,000 Israelis were infected with the disease. Considering age and gender, skin cancer is much more common in men. Reports; 1 in 50 women face this disease, while men This indicates that the ratio is 1 to 34.

In 2003, Israel had the third highest rate of skin cancer in the world, and the annual death rate from the condition that year was Between 400 and 480 people live there.

Another interesting part is that the majority of cases with this disorder are Israelis of American and European descent is to create. According to the Ministry of Health, this disease is much less common among Israelis of Arab descent.

Furthermore, these numbers rose with the migration of Ashkenazi Jews, who had lived in Europe for generations, to Israel. Because in people with fair skin, melanin levels increase even more and the risk of skin cancer increases. The other Jews do They are dark-skinned Jews who have lived in Central Europe for 300 years and belong to the Semitic people.

So if third place belongs to Israel, which countries are in the first two places?

in 2003 Australia and New ZealandThese are the countries where skin cancer is most common in both sexes. This is probably related to the large proportion of the population that has fair skin and is exposed to the sun from early childhood.

But of course the population of these countries, It’s not just about the locals. At this point it is worth remembering that there are brown aborigines in Australia and New Zealand, but the British migrated to these regions.

On the other hand, if we look at the situation in our country, skin cancer is the second most common cancer in Turkey, with a rate of 7.1% in men and 8.8% in women in 1993 and 1994 In 1999, this percentage among men fell to 5th place at 5%. In 2003, the number of cases of this disease in our country was It managed to drop to 1.3% with 126 people.

Now, however, the alarm bells are no longer ringing for Israel.

According to current data, the risk of skin cancer for men ranges from third to thirteenth. Among women it fell to 20th place. Efforts to raise awareness among citizens played an important role in this development, which is of great importance for Israel.

The government also launched a campaign called “Skin Cancer Awareness” to raise awareness and educate the public about skin cancer, and advised staying away from sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. It is very important to take precautions to protect the skin when exposed to sunlight. he emphasized.

In addition, Israeli researchers are developing ways to prevent the spread of cancer cells, although the mortality rate is quite low. The US-based Cancer Research Institute is also currently working to support the financial aspect of these studies. He works with Israeli researchers.

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