Today, Melanoma Patients Australia in partnership with MASC Trials Australia launch a campaign to raise awareness of Melanoma amongst those living in regional and rural areas.
In 2021, an estimated 8,000 Australians in regional areas were diagnosed with melanoma, and this is expected to rise dramatically to over 11,000 annually by 2030.
The launch of this Australian first campaign, targets Australians aged 60 years and older living in regional and rural areas, encouraging them to perform regular self-skin checks in order to identify unusual spots, moles, or lesions, and to get online for the latest resources and skin check guides.
Research shows that 69% of rural Australians have detected their own skin cancer. When found early, survival outcomes improve significantly, with a survival rate of 99% when detected at stage 1 compared to a survival rate of just 26% when detected at stage 4 highlighting the critical importance of early detection.
Melanoma Patients Australia CEO Victoria Beedle says “Empowering high risk older Australians in rural and regional areas, with the right knowledge to act early, will help reduce melanoma incidence for this often-forgotten community and significantly improve melanoma survival rates.”
Skin cancer can occur at any age, however, many older people living in regional and rural areas have an increased risk of melanoma due to longer unprotected UV radiation exposure and a history of burning during childhood.
Download our infographic to find out the facts and figures of how melanoma affects regional and rural Australians
