Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world. More than 10,000 Australian men and women are diagnosed with a melanoma each year, and an estimated 434,000 people are treated for non-melanoma skin cancer. More than 1700 Australians die from melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer each year.
Luckily, skin cancer is almost entirely preventable and high profile awareness and information campaigns telling Australians how to save their skin have been in place for several decades. But there are still a lot of misconceptions about skin cancer and sun protection.
Cancer Council Australia’s Skin Cancer Committee has developed a number of position statements addressing common myths and misunderstandings and providing clear information and advice aimed at helping Australians reduce their skin cancer risk. Many of the statements have been developed with input from other expert health organisations, particularly the Australasian College of Dermatologists.
(1) Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer according to surveys, however there is no reporting of actual cases to cancer registries.