Source: Monash University, May 2025
Every year, more than 18,000 Australians are diagnosed with invasive melanoma – the nation’s so-called “national cancer”. Another 28,000 are diagnosed with in-situ disease.
In the early stages, these cancers have excellent recovery rates; the five-year survival rate for stage one melanoma is more than 98%. But thicker, later-stage tumours are more aggressive, require more complex surgery and costly medical therapies, so early detection is a crucial defence.