Non-melanoma skin cancer (also now know as keratinocyte cancer) causes 560 deaths in Australia each year. Responsible for approximately 939,000 treatments per annum, Kerotinocyte Cancer cost Australian tax-payers approximately $703 million in diagnosis, treatment and pathology services in 2015 alone.
Invited by the Cancer Council of Australia to be on the working party that would develop our new national guidelines for diagnosing and managining Keratinocyte Cancer, Skin Repair’s Dr Helena Rosengren worked with national medical experts on this project for 18 months.
The completed guidelines were approved by the peak Australian medical research group, the National Health and Medical Reserch Council (NHMRC), in November 2019.
The purpose of the Guidelines
The new guidelines aim to reduce illness – and potentially death – associated with Kerotinocyte Cancers by providing medical professionals with clear guidance on the best practice for the diagnosis and management of non-melanoma cancers.
Dr Rosengren helped write and contribute evidence-based recommendations to the guidelines, drawing on her extensive knowledge and expertise in skin cancer prevention and early detection, the treatment of Kerotinocyte Cancers in people at increased risk of the disease and advances in therapy. The guidelines will help medical professionals to give their patients the best treatment possible.
Who will benefit from the new guidelines?
While the guidelines are not intended as health information for the general public, they do apply to a complete range of adult Australians.
The information is intended to be used in public and private healthcare settings, including:
- GP clinics
- skin cancer clinics
- hospitals
- specialist clinics
- imaging services
- pathology services; and
- allied healthcare services.
Why are these Guidelines important?
As new data and medical advances come to light, Australia’s medical community is able to significantly improve the effective prevention, detection and treatment of Keratinocyte Cancers.
The new guidelines include important information for medical practitioners, including:
- advances in therapy
- treatment specific to people who’ve undergone an organ transplant or who have a condition associated with immunosuppression
- radiotherapy
- surgical treatment; and
- early detection.
We are incredibly proud of the role that Dr Helena Rosengren and Skin Repair Skin Cancer Clinic have played in shaping these new Clinical Guidelines as it is always our priority to help reduce the burden of Skin Cancers for Australians.
If you’re due for a skin check, or have noticed changes in your moles or skin spots, we would love to see you soon to take a look and address any concerms you might have.
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