How common is it?

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. One in two Australians will develop some form of skin cancer during their lifetime. Each year about 3,000 people in NSW are diagnosed with melanoma.

Melanoma is more common in people with fair complexions as they have less skin pigment to protect them against UV radiation from the sun than people with darker skin.

Melanoma is diagnosed most often in older adults, but it also occurs in younger adults and occasionally in teenagers.  It is rarely seen in children.

People with a lot of moles have a higher risk of melanoma. Adults with more than 10 on the arms and more than 200 on the body should have their moles checked regularly by their GP.

Melanoma in men is more common on the back, while women get more melanomas on their legs.

Anyone can develop skin cancer, but the risk is increased for people who have:

• Fair Celtic skin – that burns easily, freckles and doesn’t tan easily
• A history of repeated episodes of sunburn and blistering, especially in childhood and adolescence
• Other close family members having melanoma
• Certain types of naevi (moles)

Note: people with dark or olive skin have more protection against skin cancer because they produce more melanin than fair skinned people, however, because UV radiation is so strong in Australia dark and olive skinned people still need to protect their skin.

Incidence, Age and Gender
Melanoma is a major Australian health problem. It is the third most common cancer in Australian men and women with an overall lifetime risk of 5.8% and over 10,000 cases per year. About 25% of these, and a much larger proportion of complex, recurrent cases, are managed by Melanoma Institute Australia. Melanoma has a heavy impact on productive years of life because it is the commonest cancer in those aged 15-50 years (men) and 15-35 (women). In the decade to 2005, Australian melanoma incidence increased by 22% (men) and 17% (women), while mortality increased by 16% (men) and 6% (women).