Melanoma Facts

Fast Facts

• Melanoma is one of the most deadly cancers and is the cancer most likely to affect 15-39 year olds.
• Melanoma is becoming more prevalent and has the fastest growing incidence rate of any form of cancer. It now ranks as the third most common form of cancer in Australia.
• Australia has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world and Western Australia is second only to Queensland in incidence rates.
• There are over 1,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in Western Australia each year. All cases have to be reported to the WA Cancer Registry.
• Higher rates of melanoma deaths among older men are most likely due to late detection and poorer outcomes from more advanced disease stages.
• As melanoma can move from a primary site to other, secondary sites in the body, it can be very difficult to treat successfully. A key barrier to successful treatment is that often there are few visible symptoms until the cancer has progressed to a late stage.
• Melanoma is one of the most preventable forms of cancer.

Melanoma Risk Factors

The main environmental risk factor for developing melanoma is exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Established individual risk factors include:

• Having a pale complexion
• Having red or blonde hair
• Having skin that freckles, that tans poorly or is sensitive to the sun
• A large number of moles on the skin
• A family history of the disease

Known genetic factors include mutations in two melanoma predisposition genes, CDKN2A and CDK4. Mutations in these genes have been identified in some high-risk melanoma families, however, as these mutations account for only 25-40% of families with melanoma, it is clear that other melanoma genes are yet to be discovered.

Another gene of interest is MC1R, which is associated with hair and skin pigmentation. Alternate or variant forms of this gene have been linked to red hair, fair skin and increased freckling and have been implicated in increased melanoma risk.

Melanoma Detection

Melanoma can arise from normal looking skin, or from a mole or freckle.

The Cancer Council Western Australia provides information about the detection of melanoma and other skin cancers. Please visit the Cancer Council website for more information.