• Melanoma only rarely occurs in children but occurs in all other age groups.
• Men over 50 years represent 12% of the population but account for more than 50% of all skin cancer deaths.
• The Hunter Region has the 8th highest incidence of Melanoma per capita in the world.
• Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma per capita in the world.
• People with a lot of moles have a higher risk of melanoma. Adults with more than 10 on the arms and more than 200 on the body should have their moles checked regularly by their GP.
• 1 in 25 males and 1 in 30 females in our region will suffer from Melanoma.
• Risk factors for Melanoma include; a large number of moles; fair skin; a tendency to sunburn easily; family history of Melanoma; excessive sun exposure under the age of 15.
• Solariums, sun lamps & sun beds emit harmful UV rays that damage your skin and can cause melanoma.
• Two in three Australians will develop some form of skin cancer during their lifetime. Each year about 3,000 people in NSW are diagnosed with melanoma.
• Melanoma is the most common cancer in the 15-39 age group. While in the overall Australian population melanoma ranks as the third most common cancer.
• One person dies every 5 hours from melanoma.