Skin cancer control in Western Australia: Is it working and what have we learned?

Abstract

Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, with malignant melanoma rates in Western Australia second only to the state of Queensland. The Cancer Foundation of Western Australia has been actively involved in skin cancer control programmes for almost 20 years. The evaluation of skin cancer campaigns run by the Foundation over the past 5 years, including evaluation data from the summer 1998/99 campaign, is reported. Secondly, the reduction of age standardised rates of melanoma now being witnessed in Western Australia are reported. From these data arises the question - is it too early to claim that public health measures have contributed to this recent reduction in melanoma rat..