SKIN cancer afflicts almost five times as many NSW residents as all other cancers combined, and young sports enthusiasts are most at risk.
Statistics show the State has an annual rate of 145,000 cases of skin cancer, compared with 30,600 cases of other cancers, including breast, lung and prostate.
Young men aged 20 to 29, especially sportsmen, are the group at highest risk because of the time they spend in the sun.
Men are 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with melanomas and are more than three times more likely to die from the cancer.
Worryingly, the overall rate of melanoma in NSW has risen by about 20 per cent in the past decade.
Assistant Health Minister Frank Sartor said the NSW Government would give $4.46 million to fund skin cancer research over the next three to five years.
“My mother died at 48 of a melanoma from sun exposure, soI know how important skin protection is,” Mr Sartor told The Sunday Telegraph.
“It really is about covering up first if you’re going to be exposed to the sun. Young people have to understand it occurs in young people, too.”
Referring to the trend for young people to have a tan, Mr Sartor added: “There’s no point in being gorgeous if you’re going to get skin cancer.”
Another $1.5 million would be spent on an advertising campaign that would target young people this summer, he said.
Although the public’s awareness of aggressive melanomas is generally high, more common non-melanoma skin cancers have been dubbed “the silent epidemic”.
Of the annual skin cancer total, 142,000 are non-melanoma strains and 3400 cases are melanomas.
Leonard Empson and Nicola Cole said although they sunbake regularly they use sunscreen.
Mr Sartor said one of his key aims was to help improve cancer treatment and research in NSW.
“NSW is now the envy of other states after creating the first dedicated Cancer Institute and state-based Cancer Plan in Australia.”
