The most important day under the sun
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Nearly 200 professionals working in melanoma gathered at Te Papa in Wellington on 11 March 2011 for the second national Melanoma Summit. Participants included GPs, pathologists, dermatologists, surgeons, oncologists, nurses, health promoters, policy makers and researchers. A number of people affected by melanoma also attended as Melanoma Foundation participants.
Summit highlights
Among the issues highlighted at the Summit were:
- New Zealand’s melanoma incidence and thickness are increasing in New Zealand, and our death rate in women for 2003-2007 was 40% higher than in Australia (Dr Mary Jane Sneyd, Hugh Adam Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Otago)
- Sun exposure will increase a person's risk of developing melanoma, whether they are young or old (Professor Bruce Armstrong, University of Sydney)
- Sunbed use before the age of 30 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent (Craig Sinclair, Head of WHO Collaborative Centre for UV Radiation and Director of Cancer Prevention Centre, Cancer Council Victoria)
- Voluntary standards in the sunbed industry are not working (Dr Ben Tallon, Tauranga Hospital)
- GPs need clarity around advice to give on sun protection, whilst balancing this against the need for adequate levels of vitamin D, according to preliminary findings of a University of Otago study (Dr Tony Reeder, Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit)
- Dermoscopy is more accurate than clinical examination based on four recent meta-analyses; it also “forces” physicians to dedicate more time and care for individuals with pigmented skin lesions (Professor Peter Soyer, University of Queensland)
- Recent results from clinical trials of new drugs “offer the realistic promise of our being able to convert metastatic melanoma from a death sentence to a chronic disease within five years” (Professor Richard Kefford, Director of the Westmead Institute for Cancer Research at Sydney University)
- New Zealand needs a national co-ordinated melanoma research strategy and better communication between researchers, clinicians and the public (findings of the workshop on “Personalised therapy for melanoma: What research is needed in New Zealand?”)
- A key issue for those supporting patients is the prevalence of melanoma with few successful treatment options for those with advanced disease (Lisa McFadyen, CEO, Melanoma Patients Australia)
- Those affected by melanoma (patients and their families) need access to information and the knowledge that support exists (Melanoma Foundation “Change-making in melanoma” workshop)
At the conclusion of the Summit, participants identified the following priorities for action to reduce the burden of melanoma in New Zealand:
- Fully implement the 2010 Melanoma Guidelines Implementation Plan
- Ban access to sunbeds/solaria for those under the age of 18 years and unsupervised sunbed operations
- Increase investment in epidemiological research in New Zealand to identify why our mortality rates are high and our incidence rates increasing, clarify the relative contribution of risk factors in New Zealand, and explain diverging trends compared to Australia
- Address gaps in the delivery of patient services in terms of communication and information through development of the melanoma communication toolkit
- Improve melanoma data collection
- Develop a national coordinated research strategy to ensure a more cohesive approach
- Seek ways to improve communication between researchers, clinicians and the public.
See the media section of the MelNet website for the Summit call for government action on sunbeds and other media highlights of the Summit.
Summit programme
The programme included four international experts, nine speakers on New Zealand innovations and workshops on prevention, clinical management and research. Click to read details
Summit programme
Organising committee and sponsors
Speaker bios
To download and print a pdf of the complete Summit programme click here. Should you experience any difficulty downloading the pdf please email melnet@melanoma.org.nz for a copy
