Dr Sabine Sommer
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Dermatologist, Hawke’s Bay, NZ
Sabine is currently the only public dermatologist in Hawke's Bay, where she arrived after retiring from Leeds Teaching Hospitals, UK. She has a keen interest in improving population skin health, including collaboration with patients, their whanau and other healthcare providers, teaching, prevention and treatments of low financial toxicity.
Medical Management of Skin Cancer |
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The increasing amount of skin cancer is a serious challenge for healthcare systems around the world, affecting New Zealand and Australia worst.
Keratinocyte skin cancer is a chronic progressive disease resulting from increasing carcinogen exposure in the context of worsening immune dysfunction. Older patients of lighter skin types are worst affected, often presenting with an ever-increasing number of keratinocyte skin cancers on the background of widespread sun-induced field cancerization. Lentigo maligna is also mainly seen on chronically sun exposed skin of older patients. This patient group often presents with multiple comorbidities, increasing frailty and surgical fatigue. The cost of treatment is difficult for patients and healthcare systems.
I will present medical treatment options for the ENT surgeon to consider together with or instead of surgery, and strategies for secondary skin cancer prevention.
Keratinocyte skin cancer is a chronic progressive disease resulting from increasing carcinogen exposure in the context of worsening immune dysfunction. Older patients of lighter skin types are worst affected, often presenting with an ever-increasing number of keratinocyte skin cancers on the background of widespread sun-induced field cancerization. Lentigo maligna is also mainly seen on chronically sun exposed skin of older patients. This patient group often presents with multiple comorbidities, increasing frailty and surgical fatigue. The cost of treatment is difficult for patients and healthcare systems.
I will present medical treatment options for the ENT surgeon to consider together with or instead of surgery, and strategies for secondary skin cancer prevention.
