Skin cancer treatment costs soar to $200m

Source: SBS, August 2017

Researchers have found the cost of treating potentially deadly melanoma has surged to $200 million while the number of patients has risen to 13,000.

The annual cost of diagnosing and treating melanoma in Australia has ballooned by nearly seven times to $200 million in the past 16 years.

The QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute says costs have risen from $30 million in 2001 while the number of people with the disease has soared from 8885 to 13,000 despite the potentially deadly skin cancer being largely preventable by avoiding the sun and wearing protective clothing.