Older men “harvesting the melanomas sown in their youth”
New statistics released by Cancer Council Victoria show Victorians aged over 55 accounted for two-thirds of melanoma diagnoses, and rural men were at highest risk.
A total of 2,217 Victorians were diagnosed with melanoma in 2008, and 279 people died.
Cancer Epidemiology Centre director, Professor Graham Giles, said older Victorians were ”harvesting the melanomas sown in their youth”, while melanoma rates were falling in those under 40 who had grown up with sun protection messages.
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Associate Professor Grant McArthur said he was hopeful the increasing melanoma rates for older Victorians would drop off ”as people brought up in the ‘slip, slop, slap’ era get older”.
He said vigilance was required to tackle the preventable cancers.
