Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australians aged 18-40.
Where the world melanoma capital in QLD and it is lethal.
People with a lot of moles have more than twice the chance of developing melanoma that those with few. Queensland doctors are very good at identifying skin malignancies. Go and get checked early and regularly.
Fair skin and blue eyes are high risk category.
Get moles and spots checked each year for any changes in shape or colour by your GP.
The science is unequivocal: Sunlight causes almost all melanomas. Genetics can play are role in determining susceptibility.
More than 10000 Australians a year are diagnosed with melanoma and about 12% will die from it.
Melanoma is the 2nd most common cancer in among men and the 3rd most common among women in Queensland.
Melanoma is sneaky. If left too late it can’t be treated. It’s what it does inside your body that is the problem. The survival rates for melanoma are grim if not removed early.
Lying in the sun on the beach in a bikini is very dangerous behaviour.
You can also be exposed to consistently dangerous levels of ultraviolent radiation in your vehicle as it cames through the windscreen and windows. Glass filters out most UVB but lets the UVA through. People who drive get exposed to UVA but don’t get burnt. Window tinting does reduce UVA depending on its quality and age.
Basal cell carcinomas are the most common skin cancers but least dangerous skin cancers but must be removed.
Stage 3 is when the melanoma has spread from the skin to the lymph nodes but has not yet been found in an organ. This has a 50-60% survival in 5 years.
Stage 4 is when the melanoma has spread to an organ. This has less than a 10% survival rate.
Melanoma can lie dormant for 20 years. You never get the all clear once you’ve had it.
Melanoma thrives in any organs in your body. It is a horrendous disease.
Those who know about the disease want us to avoid ever getting it in the first place.
Slip Slap Slop – it’s not just to avoid sunburn. It’s to avoid skin cancer. Use sunscreen thickly and repeatedly. Wearing sunscreen does reduce risk of developing the two most common skin cancers – basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – but has NOT yet been shown to reduce risk of melanoma. Sunscreens with SPF 50+ ratings will be available from the summer of 2011-12 but attention to applying thickly and often will still be essential. Apparently we need to at least triple the thickness and frequency with which we apply sunscreen. We should use up a bottle of sunscreen in 3 trips t the beach only. The Cancer Council Queensland recommends at least half a teaspoon of sunscreen on each arm and on the face and neck for adults and more than a teaspoon on each leg and on the body applied 20 minutes before exposure then reapplied at least every 2 hours and again after swimming or perspiring.
Don’t rely on sunscreen alone. Wearing sunscreen just will not replace the other things we need to do to protect our skin. Number 1 is to avoid the sun. Number 2 is to wear clothing that is dark-coloured and a close weave with long sleeves and trouser legs. Wear a hat. Get under the shade. Keep out of the sun during peak UV times. Make the decision to care for your skin. It comes down to how vigilant you are about your own health.
[url=http://www.melanomapatients.org/]
Melanoma Patients Australia[/url] is a support group for sufferers.
Dr David Whiteman is a melanoma expert at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. He has now launched [url=http://www.qskin.qimr.edu.au/]QSkin[/url] the world’s largest study of skin cancer and melanoma to track about 50000 Queensland volunteers between the ages of 40 and 69 over 10 years to determine who is most at risk and allow prevention advice to be tailored.
It is thought the initial skin cell damage is kick-started by repeated exposure to UVB the part of the UV spectrum that damages the top layer of the skin and causes burning.
It is now thought UVA which doesn’t cause burning but penetrates into the lower layers of skin may encourage melanomas.
Sun exposure in childhood heightens risk. The early damage initiates the process even if there is not a lot of later sun exposure.
About 40-50% of melanomas arise from a mole.
Melanomas can appear on areas of the body never exposed to sun. [A librarian we know of died from a melanoma that started inside her vagina.]
Sunlight isn’t all bad – we get vitamin D from it which is important for strong bones and immune system health. But we know little about how much sunlight we need to get adequate vitamin D. How can we balance this against protecting our skin from the risk of melanoma and other skin cancers?
Vitamin D deficiency is common especially among office workers and seniors.
Amanda Watt QWeekend The Sunblind State