Join us for Melanoma March 2023!

Join us in taking steps to beat melanoma to help raise much-needed funds for vital melanoma research!

The Rockpool at The Strand on Sunday, 12 March 2023 from 8.00am.

The 2023 Melanoma March campaign aims to raise $1 million nationally to support 2 major goals. Firstly, to improve the psychological health and wellbeing of Australians diagnosed with and being treated for advanced melanoma and secondly to help weaken Australia’s tanning culture so that we can reduce the number of melanomas occurring in the first place.

Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world!
The incidence of melanoma per 100,000 population has more than doubled in the past 40 years.

The recent State of the Nation Report into Melanoma found that around 40 per cent of patients diagnosed with melanoma have anxiety and fear around their diagnosis and treatment. And half of these people reported this was not identified or addressed in routine clinical practice. These findings have made emotional support a top national priority for melanoma patient care.

Melanoma is the third most commonly diagnosed invasive cancer in Australia, but in North Queensland it is the second most common invasive cancer.

Melanoma Institute Australia will be leading a landmark study on recognising and supporting the emotional needs of patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma to help bring this into mainstream care. The outcomes will likely benefit patients diagnosed with other cancers, too.

50% patients with advanced melanoma currently don’t respond or become resistant to new immunotherapy treatments.

Townsville Melanoma Ambassador Glenn “Minty” Mintern met with our medical director Dr Helena Rosengren to help raise awareness of the upcoming local Melanoma March.

There are over 2,000 deaths from melanoma annually in Australia. Melanoma is the most common cause of death from natural causes in adults under 40 years.

Here Minty talks with Mick Ing, a local stage 4 melanoma survivor: