Skin cancer is the most common form in Northern Ireland

There are various types of skin cancer but, overall, the disease is the most common form of cancer in Northern Ireland, making up over 31% of all cancers, reports Care in the Sun, an organisation which was established as part of the Northern Ireland Skin Cancer Prevention Strategy.

It states that about 4,097 people develop skin cancer each year and around 377 of these are malignant melanomas.

An aggressive type of cancer that can rapidly spread and be fatal, malignant melanoma can start with a change in a mole or a new growth on normal skin.

It has been associated with ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure from sunbeds, intermittent sun exposure and a history of sunburn, especially in childhood.

If untreated, melanoma cancers can metastasise, ie, spread to other areas of the body. However, if found early and treated expected outcomes are excellent.

Malignant melanoma rates have risen in NI over the past 30 years, from an average of 103 cases per year in the mid-1980s, to 377 cases each year at present.

Figures from the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) show that between 2013 and 2017 there were an average of 174 males and 203 females diagnosed with malignant melanoma cancer each year in NI.

The probability that a male will develop malignant melanoma before the age of 75 is approximately one in 77 while the equivalent probability for a female is one in 69.

Five-year survival rates between 2007-2011 was 89.2% for men and 92.3% for women.

The NICR reported that survival is “consistently higher in females compared to males”.

For more information, visit careinthesun.org