Skin cancer prevention and detection campaign at golf courses on Spain's Costa del Sol.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Skin cancer prevention and detection campaigns targeting specific groups are necessary and have proven to be more effective than those aimed at the general population. Interventions in outdoor tourist spots have proven successful, although none have specifically targeted golf courses. The aims of this study were to describe the risk profile of golfers and golf course workers and evaluate the impact of a skin cancer prevention and early detection intervention. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at 6 golf courses. The intervention included a skin examination and completion of a questionnaire about demographic details, risk factors, and sun exposure and sun protection habits. Participants were also given advice on sun protection measures, self-examination, and use of sunscreens, and were asked about their satisfaction with the intervention and their intention to change their current behaviors. The effect was measured in terms of the diagnoses made, satisfaction with the intervention, reported intention to change, and potential effect in terms of existing risk factors. RESULTS: Of the 351 participants (57% golfers and 43% golf course workers), 70.4% had fair skin, 11.7% had a family history of skin cancer, and 8.5% had a personal history of skin cancer. Skin cancer and actinic keratoses were diagnosed in 10.7% and 40% of the golfers, respectively. The session was rated positively by 99.4% of the participants; 93.9% stated that they intended to improve their sun exposure habits and 93.4% said that they planned to examine their skin more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm that golf course workers and, in particular, golfers are an important target for skin cancer prevention campaigns. This is the first intervention to specifically target golf courses, and it proved to be both feasible and useful. Its success appears to be attributable to numerous factors: it was conducted at golf courses, had multiple components, and was preceded by a motivational campaign.

Five-year economic evaluation of non-melanoma skin cancer surgery at the Costa del Sol Hospital (2006-2010).

BACKGROUND: The cost associated with treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer is expected to rise considerably over the coming decades. This important public health problem is therefore expected to have an enormous economic impact for the various public health services. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost of the surgical-care process of non-melanoma skin cancer at the Costa del Sol Hospital and seek areas to improve its efficiency, using the activity-based costing (ABC) method and the tools designed for decision analysis. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: To compare the costs for hospitalized patients obtained using the ABC method with the data published by the Spanish Ministry of Health, using the diagnosis-related groups (DRG) classification system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the cost of non-melanoma skin cancer surgery at the Costa del Sol Hospital. RESULTS: The total estimated cost from 2006 to 2010 was 3 398 540€. Most of the episodes (47.3%) corresponded to minor outpatient surgery. The costs of the episodes varied greatly according to the type of admission: 423€ (minor outpatient surgery), 1267€ (major outpatient surgery), and 1832€ (inpatient surgery). The average cost of an inpatient episode varied significantly depending on the calculation system used (ABC: 2328€ vs. DRG: 5674€). CONCLUSIONS: The ABC cost analysis system favours standardization of the care process for these tumours and the detection of areas to improve efficiency. This would enable more reliable economic studies than those obtained using traditional methods, such as the DRG.

Anal intraepithelial neoplasia in a sexually transmitted diseases outpatient clinic: correlation with cytological screening.

BACKGROUND: High-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) is currently considered a precursor of anal cancer. The population most susceptible to AIN is men who have sex with men (MSM), especially if they are infected by HIV. OBJECTIVES: We analysed the population diagnosed with AIN and evaluated anal cytology as a method of screening the at-risk population. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with AIN by means of a surgical biopsy between 2008 and 2010. We analysed the risk factors of the population affected and the degree of agreement with the cytology performed previously. RESULTS: During the study period 41 patients were diagnosed with AIN and seven with anal canal carcinoma in situ; 77% were men, most MSM. A history of receptive anal intercourse was found in 81% of the patients and in 71% there was an association with anogenital warts; 32 patients were HIV-positive, most of them men. Of the patients with anal dysplasia of any type in the cytology, 90% had some grade of AIN or carcinoma in situ in the later biopsy. The degree of agreement between the cytology and the biopsy was 94% in the high-grade dysplasias and 50% in the low-grade dysplasias. CONCLUSIONS: Anal cytology in at-risk populations has a high degree of agreement with the biopsy when performed surgically, though less in low-grade dysplasias, which must always be studied. More studies evaluating the degree of progression of AIN to anal cancer are necessary.

Camouflage therapy workshop for pediatric dermatology patients: a review of 6 cases.

Certain skin conditions, such as vitiligo, acne, vascular malformations, and surgical scars, can impair the quality of life of pediatric patients, especially adolescents-even to the point of hindering psychosocial development. We review the cases of 6 patients with discoloration or scarring, predominantly of the face, who attended our cosmetic camouflage workshops from January through December 2012. The quality-of-life impact of their skin disorder was assessed before and after workshop attendance. Cosmetic camouflage is an easily replicated, cheap, and noninvasive adjunctive treatment of great potential value in managing skin conditions that impair the physical and emotional well-being of pediatric patients.