Costs blow out in skin cancer care, study shows

THE yearly cost of treating Australia's most common and expensive cancer will soar to more than $700 million within three years, a study predicts.

skin cancer

THE yearly cost of treating Australia's most common and expensive cancer will soar to more than $700 million within three years, a study predicts.

In research published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, Medicare data for non-melanoma skin cancers, including basal and squamous cell carcinomas, between 1997 and 2010 was analysed.

They found the total number of treatments climbed from more than 412,000 in 1997 to almost 768,000 13 years later, and estimated cases would skyrocket to about 939,000 by 2015.

Taking into account costs associated with diagnosis, treatment and pathology, lead researcher Rodney Sinclair said expenses related to treating non-melanoma skin cancers swelled from $264 million in 2001 to $511 million in 2010. He forecast that would exceed $700 million in three years.

Although he said non-melanoma skin cancer rates were decreasing among Australians aged under 55, indicating the success of the Slip, Slop, Slap campaign, cases continued to climb in older age groups.

Overall numbers of skin cancers are rising as the population ages.

"Public hospitals are really struggling to keep up with the demand," said Professor Sinclair, a Melbourne-based dermatologist.

"Non-melanoma skin cancers are rising much faster than other cancers."

Prof Sinclair estimated that by 2015, more than 70 per cent of non-melanoma skin cancers treated would be in patients aged 65 and older.

He urged people to have regular skin checks and to go to their doctors "sooner rather than later" if they found something suspicious.

"What starts out as a little problem, over time can become quite a big problem," Prof Sinclair said. "If you catch non-melanoma skin cancer very early, you might even get by without surgery."

The research is published today in the Medical Journal of Australia.

About 133,000 non-melanoma skin cancer cases are diagnosed in Queensland each year.

This week is National Skin Cancer Action Week.