About a third of all melanomas in Australia occur in Queensland. This year 13,300 new cases of melanomas are diagnosed in Australia, with 3,600 of them from Queensland.
According to Australian Institute of Health Queensland has the highest rate of melanoma in the country: between 2008 and 2012, 7.5 people per 100,000 died of melanoma.
This demonstrates the importance of regular skin checks throughout adulthood, so that skin cancer can be diagnosed early and treated effectively.
Fortunately the rate of skin cancers diagnosed in people under the age of 40 has decreased by more than 30% from 2002 to 2016.
Incidence of melanoma under the age of 40 is down to nine cases per 100,000 people in 2016. Most of these melanomas are diagnoses at very early stages and have very good prognosis.
By checking your skin regularly, the risk of advanced melanoma is significantly reduced.
