Facts and stats at a glance

• 2 in 3 Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70. [1]
• Over 1,700 Australians die from skin cancer each year. [2]
• Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
• Skin cancers account for about 80% of all new cancers diagnosed each year in Australia. Each year, Australians are 4 times more likely to develop a common skin cancer than any other form of cancer. [3]
• Over 430,000 Australians are treated for skin cancer each year [3,4] – that's over 1,000 people every day.
• Skin cancer costs the health system around $300 million annually, the highest cost of all cancers. [5]
• In those aged 15–44 years, melanoma is the most common cancer, making up almost a quarter of all cancers for this age group. [6]
• In 2005, 245 Victorians died from melanoma. [2]
• 90% of Victorians with invasive melanoma in 2004 could expect to survive their cancer for at least 5 years. [7]
• It is estimated that approximately 200 melanomas and 34,000 non-melanoma skin cancers per year are caused by occupational exposures in Australia. [8]
• A systematic review of the research on the link between skin cancer and solarium use concluded that using solariums before the age of 35 boosts the risk of melanoma by 75%, and also increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. [9] A more recent review suggested that the increased risk of melanoma could be as much as 98%. [10]

References

1. Staples M, Elwood M, Burton R, Williams J, Marks R, Giles G. Non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia: the 2002 national survey and trends since 1985. Medical Journal of Australia 2006; 184: 6–10.

2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Causes of death 2007. 3303.0. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, March 18 2009.

3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) & Australasian Association of Cancer Registries (AACR). Cancer in Australia an overview, 2006. Cancer Series Number 37. Canberra: AIHW, 2007.

4. National Cancer Control Initiative. The 2002 national non-melanoma skin cancer survey. A report by the NCCI Non-melanoma Skin Cancer Working Group. Edited by MP Staples, Melbourne: NCCI, 2003.

5. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health system expenditures on cancer and other neoplasms in Australia, 2000-01. Health and Welfare Expenditure Series Number 22. Canberra: AIHW, 2005.

6. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) & Australasian Association of Cancer Registries (AACR). Cancer age specific data cube. AIHW, 2007. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/ on 7 January 2008.

7. English DR, Farrugia H, Thursfield V, Chang P, Giles G. Cancer survival 2007. Estimates of survival in 2004 (and comparisons with earlier periods). Melbourne: The Cancer Council Victoria, 2007.

8. Fritschi L, Driscoll T. Cancer due to occupation in Australia. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2006; 30: 213–9.

9. International Agency for Research on Cancer Working Group on artificial ultraviolet light and skin cancer. The association of use of sunbeds with cutaneous malignant melanoma and other skin cancers: a systematic review. International Journal of Cancer 2007; 120: 1116–22.

10. Gordon L, Hirst N. The health effects of using solaria and potential cost-effectiveness of enforcing solaria regulations in Australia. Brisbane: Queensland Institute of Medical Research, 2007.

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