WANGANUI people are being urged to be safe in the sun, with new provisional statistics showing a 50 percent increase in melanoma deaths in Wanganui over a four-year period. Cancer Society health promotion adviser Sue Stuart said the latest Ministry of Health provisional statistics showed that while six Whanganui people haddied from melanoma in 2002, by 2005 deaths had increased to nine. Nationally, 269 people died of melanoma in 2005, a 15 percent increase on the 2002 figure. The Wanganui statistics showed sun-related cancer could affect anyone, even those in the prime of their lives, Ms Stuart said. In 2002, three of the deaths had been men and three women, one of whom was in her 30s. In 2005, three women and six men died, one of whom was in his early 20s and one in his early 30s. Although mortality figures for the past two years are not available, the Whanganui Regional Primary Health Organisation's Skin Lesion Project paints a frightening and reassuring picture of melanoma cases in Whanganui. Practice Liaison officer Karen Veldhoen said the project funded GPs to remove moles free of charge, if it was safe for them to do so. During the 2006-7 year, this had kept 55 percent of GP patients off the public waiting list. In 2005-6, GPs had performed 388 simple and complex excisions under the project, 183 of which turned out to be melanomas or malignant cells. A broadening of the criteria saw GPs perform 496 excisions in 2006-7, 289 of which turned out to be melanomas or malignant cells. In the past six months, 283 excisions had been performed, 158 of which more than half were melanomas or malignant cells. Frighteningly, in 2006-7 19 percent of patients had said they would have simply left the matter if free excisions were not available, rather than pay a specialist or wait. Yesterday, Ms Stuart urged Wanganui people to take extra care to protect themselves and their families this summer. People should check each other's skin regularly to look for changes and not rely only on mole maps, which were done once a year. Melanoma was virulent and could develop in weeks and spread quickly, she said. Children should also be protected from the sun, as those sunburnt when very young had an increased risk of developing skin cancer later in life. "Never let your kids or anyone else in your family get sunburnt," she said.
