Causes

Like other cancers, melanomas are composed of cells which multiply without the normal control of the body's regulating systems. It has not yet been possible to completely identify how melanoma develops however a significant link between exposure to sunlight and the development of melanoma has been established. People living in climates with high levels of ultraviolet light have an increased risk of melanoma. Australia has by far the highest incidence of melanoma in the world, followed closely by New Zealand.

Melanoma does not always occur in body parts which have received the most sunlight exposure however. It is important to understand that cancers do not develop directly from normal cells but progressively evolve in a series of stages that can be easily identified by expert examination. A number of changes in the skin can be identified as representing changes in the pigment cells which are pre-cancerous.

Melanomas behave as they do because the genes in their cells have become damaged. There are more than 25,000 human genes and many of them play a role in cancer if they are damaged. These mutations make cells grow, move around the body evading surgery, and resist attempts to kill them with chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Melanoma can be effectively treated if diagnosed early and the risk minimised by heeding the sun-safe message.