Sun Smart
Skin cancer occurs when skin cells are damaged, for example, by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
Skin cancer facts & stats
-
2 in 3 Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70.
-
Around 2,000 Australians die from skin cancer each year.
-
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.
-
Over 750,000 Australians are treated for skin cancer each year – that's over 2,000 people every day.
-
Skin cancer already cost the health system around $300 million annually over a decade ago, the highest cost of all cancers. More recently it has been calculated that the total cost of non-melanoma skin cancers alone was $512.3 million in 2010 (diagnosis, treatment and pathology).
-
The most commonly diagnosed cancer among adolescents and young adults is melanoma; it accounts for more than one-quarter of all cancers among Australians aged 15–29 years.
-
In 2012, 313 Victorians died from melanoma.
-
Ninety per cent of Victorians are alive five years following a diagnosis of melanoma. This has improved significantly from 85% in 1985.
-
It is estimated that approximately 200 melanomas and 34,000 non-melanoma skin cancers per year are caused by occupational exposures in Australia.
-
In Victoria, melanoma is the fourth most common cancer overall. 2,261 Victorians were diagnosed with melanoma in 2012 (that is equivalent to six diagnoses every day).
-
Melanoma is the fourth most common cancer for Victorian women (behind breast, bowel and lung).
-
Melanoma is the fourth most common cancer in Victorian men (behind prostate, bowel and lung).
-
Research shows that using solariums before the age of 35 boosts the risk of melanoma by 59%.
For more information goto SunSmart. and CancerCouncil Australia.
Information contained in this document is not intended to replace medical advice and any questions regarding a medical diagnosis or treatment should be directed to a medical practitioner.
