Why you need one

Why you need a skin cancer check

If you live in Australia, there’s a 2 in 3 chance you’ll develop skin cancer. Melanoma — which kills over 1000 Australians each year — affects about 1 in 30. If diagnosed early, it’s curable in almost 100 per cent of cases, and examination by an experienced doctor allows melanoma to be diagnosed much earlier.

Skin cancer screening is a check-up for early signs of skin cancer before you notice any abnormalities. Doctors with specialised training and experience in skin cancer medicine can detect skin cancer in its earliest (and most curable) stages because:

• they can recognise subtle abnormalities by examining skin lesions under magnification and optimal lighting
• they check in parts of your body you can’t easily see, such as the middle of your back, behind your ears, between your toes, etc

In melanoma, the main factor influencing long term survival is the thickness of the melanoma at the time of diagnosis. The thicker the melanoma, the poorer the outlook. There is now evidence that skin cancer screening with whole body examination has resulted in thinner melanomas being diagnosed. Because survival from melanoma is strongly related to tumour thickness, this suggests that screening reduces deaths from melanoma.