Skin cancer is New Zealand’s most common cancer. Each year,
around 97,000 skin cancers are diagnosed, compared with only 22,000 diagnoses
of all other cancers combined. The direct healthcare costs of this for Aotearoa
New Zealand in 2025 are estimated to be more than $450 million, which
demonstrates the critical importance of the prevention and early detection of
this disease.
Primary care practitioners play a critical role in the early
detection and treatment of skin cancer in New Zealand, with approximately 80
per cent of excisions performed by GPs. There is also a large group of these
clinicians with a special interest and skillset in skin cancer. As such,
primary care clinicians are and will remain best positioned to support the
secondary prevention of skin cancer across the nation.
This is why Skin Cancer College Australasia is calling for
urgent action to upskill and recognise more primary care clinicians in skin
cancer detection, dermoscopy and surgery. Building a skilled and confident
workforce to treat skin cancer would reduce hospital wait times, as well as
easing the burden on specialists to deal with non-complex skin cancers that
could be quickly and safely dealt with in primary care settings.
At a broader level, a comprehensive roadmap entitled Skin
Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Strategy 2024-2028 was recently released
by the Melanoma Network of New Zealand (MelNet), supported by dedicated funding
from Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora. This Strategy includes a breadth of
research and insights on the present state of skin cancer prevention and early
detection in New Zealand, with 12 key recommendations outlined. These
considerations include everything from nationally coordinated programs and
structured training to school and workplace policies, banning of sunbeds and
much more.
SCCA has produced this document to provide further detail on
the current challenges and opportunities faced by skin cancer primary care
clinicians in Aotearoa New Zealand, in addition to exploring how they can
contribute positively within the overarching Skin Cancer Prevention and Early
Detection Strategy (hereafter referred to as the ‘Strategy’). Click the button below to read more.