About Skin and Melanoma Cancer

Classification

Skin cancer is categorised as melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). The three most common skin cancers are:

Melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer, causing over two thirds of total skin cancer deaths.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) – easily treated if found early but can be fatal if left untreated.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) – the most common and least dangerous skin cancer. BCC can be serious, requiring surgery if left untreated.

Incidence in New Zealand

The total number of new melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) cases contributes around 80 percent of all new cancers each year. There are approximately 67,000 new NMSC cases each year. However, providing an exact figure for the number of NMSC is difficult as, unlike melanoma, they are not required to be recorded.

New Zealand’s skin cancer rates are among the highest in the world. Our high skin cancer rates are due to:

• high levels of UV radiation in New Zealand during daylight savings months;
• low ozone levels over New Zealand;
• our outdoor lifestyle and tendency to ‘seek the sun’; and,
• a high proportion of people with fair skin.

Signs and symptoms of skin cancer

Speak to your health professional if you have a mole, freckle or spot that: is new or changing, that looks different from others around it, does not heal or has changed in size, thickness, shape, colour or has started to bleed.

Finding skin cancer as early as possible is the key to successful treatment.

Causes of skin cancer

The most common cause of skin cancer is too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Overexposure to UV radiation causes the skin permanent damage. People of all ages and skin colours can be diagnosed with skin cancer but those at a higher risk are people who have:

• fair skin and red or fair hair
• fair skin that burns easily no matter what hair colour
• had one or more severe sunburns – especially in childhood and adolescence
• used sunbeds, particularly at a young age
• had previous skin cancers
• a family history of melanoma (parent, brother, sister or child)
• large, irregularly shaped and unevenly coloured moles
• a large number of moles

Canopy Cancer Care skin tumour team

The Canopy Skin Cancer Team is made up of world class Medical Oncologists Dr Mike McCrystal in Auckland with colleagues Lisa Dawson in Whangarei and Elliott Brenman and Richard North in Tauranga.

They have extensive experience of skin cancers in the fields of research, education and patient care. The Specialist Skin Cancer Nurse is Karen Nolan who brings extensive experience to the role. If you have an adult or young adult patient with skin cancer, please contact Canopy Cancer Care with a referral to the Skin Cancer Team.

Our team specialises in the care of patients requiring cancer treatment with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, antibody therapy, hormone therapy and more targeted therapies.