Sense in the Sun
By the time they are 70 years old, two-thirds of Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer. Over the next three years alone, approximately 44,000 Australians (a staggering 40 each day) will be told they have the deadliest form of skin cancer – melanoma. As summer approaches, these statistics should serve as a wake-up call to all Australians about the importance of sun protection.
The incidence of skin cancer has risen in Australia – from 1982–2007, diagnoses of melanoma increased by around 50%.
From 1998–2007 GP consultations to treat non-melanoma skin cancer increased by 14%.
Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common type of skin cancer and is more common in men, with almost double the incidence compared to women. More than 434,000 people are treated for one or more non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia each year.
Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, melanoma is the third most common cancer in both Australian women and men, and the most common cancer in Australians aged 15–44 years. While the five-year relative survival rate for melanoma is 90% for Australian men and 94% for Australian women, unfortunately more than 2,000 people in Australia still die from skin cancer each year. Fortunately, most skin cancers can be prevented simply by ensuring good sun protection.
Skin Cancer Awareness Week (15–21 November) reminds us that we need to protect ourselves from the sun, and not just when we go to the beach. New findings from the Cancer Council National Sun Protection Survey show that Australians are at the same risk of being sunburnt at sporting venues as they are at the beach. The research shows a clear link between sporting venues and sun damage, with 22% of Australians at sports grounds and centres getting sunburnt. Earlier this year Richie Benaud passed away, a short five months after revealing that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer. He attributed this to playing and watching cricket without a hat or sunscreen.
The well-known ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ campaign, initiated some 35 years ago has been recognised internationally as a remarkably effective public health strategy. The campaign has more recently been modified to ‘Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide’ (referring to seeking shade and sliding on sunglasses).
However, the ‘baby boomer’ generation and Australians born pre-World War II had little or no knowledge of this message in their teenage years when getting sunburnt was considered a rite of passage and a tan was a sign of good health.
Skin cancer (including both melanoma and non-melanoma) is the most common cancer in Australia, with melanoma the most deadly. Not to be understated, there are also other skin cancers which can be malignant and cause painful and disfiguring lesions. New therapies are now available to treat pre-cancerous solar keratosis – more commonly known as sunspots. These spots are usually small, scaly or wart-like and appear most commonly on parts of the face such as the nose the cheeks, upper lip, temples and forehead as well as the back of the hands and forearms.
It’s important to get to know your own skin and identify sun damage. A first step is to check with your doctor or pharmacist if you have doubts about any changes either in skin appearance or in the colour of moles and freckles. Useful information, advice and tools are also available at www.knowyourownskin.com.au.
Our local pharmacy is your health destination. You can get more advice on choosing the most appropriate sunscreen and how to be sunsmart this summer.
You can get more detailed information on how to be sunsmart from the Self Care Fact Card titled Sense in the Sun available from our Pharmacy.
Reproduced from the PSA Health Column 11/11/15
