Italian Melanoma Group Backs Law Promoting Youth Education on Melanoma

The Intergroup Melanoma Italiano (Imi) praised the recently enacted law 99/2026, which establishes provisions for the prevention and early diagnosis of melanoma. Article 2 of the law recognises the collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Merit and the Ministry of Health to promote educational and informational activities aimed at young people.

Imi highlighted that melanoma accounts for more than 12,000 new cases annually in Italy and is the third most common tumour among people under 50. The group reaffirmed its commitment to work with national institutions, regions, schools, universities and scientific societies to expand innovative prevention programmes.

At the close of the 2025‑2026 school year Imi awarded the winners of the X edition of the national “Il Sole per Amico – Impariamo a conoscere la pelle” competition: Liceo Scientifico Statale Fulcieri Paulucci Di Calboli (Forlì), Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore Einaudi‑Alvaro (Palmi, Reggio Calabria) and Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore Camillo Cavour (Vercelli). The competition encourages secondary‑school students to create multimedia content promoting melanoma prevention and safe sun exposure.

The “Il Sole per Amico” programme, launched in 2015, integrates digital platforms for primary and secondary schools, peer‑education models and the innovative SUNtel project, now operating in nearly thirty Italian cities. Recent international scientific validation of the project was published in Frontiers in Oncology (2025), and Imi is advancing the renewal of its institutional collaboration to broaden school‑based health education.