MANILA — Some 2,700 Filipinos were diagnosed with skin cancer from 2011 to 2021, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

The DOH disclosed this as the agency warned that long-term UV radiation exposure could cause skin cancer.

State weather bureau PAGASA declared the start of dry season in March.

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"Constant exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer. That is a known fact," DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.

"Dito sa Pilipinas, ang skin cancer is the number 26 form of cancer happening across the population," she added.

Citing data from the Philippine Dermatological Society from 2011 to 2021, Vergeire said some 2,102 people developed basal cell skin cancer and 614 had squamous cell skin cancer.

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According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, basal and squamous cell carcinomas are the 2 most common types of skin cancer.

They begin in the basal and squamous layers of the skin, respectively, the US CDC said.

Both can usually be cured, but they can be disfiguring and expensive to treat, it added.

The third most common type of skin cancer is melanoma.

To lower the risk of getting skin cancer, Vergeire advised Filipinos to avoid excessive sun exposure and wear sunscreen.

The US CDC also urged the public to stay in the shade and wear clothing that covers the arms and legs.

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