Keratinocyte cancers in South Australia: incidence, geographical variability and service trends

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the incidence, multiplicity, geographical variability and service trends of keratinocyte cancers (KC) in South Australia (SA). Methods:Medicare Australia data with a unique identifier were used to assess the number of people treated over years [2010][2011][2012][2013][2014]. A maximum of one KC service claim per year was used to determine incidence. Age-standardised rates were estimated as were KC service activity trends.Results: There were 497,581 services to 204,183 SA residents for KC, solar keratoses, locally aggressive skin tumours or suspicious skin lesions. Of these, n=159,137 services were for KC (77,502 people). The five-year (2010-2014) age-standardised rate of KC in SA was 1,466.6 (95%CI 1,458.3-1,474.8) per 100,000. Forty per cent of people had more than one KC removed. Men accounted for more incident cases (59.2%). Age-specific rates showed least variability over time in the youngest age group (15-44 years). For 26 geographical areas, higher agestandardised ratios of KC were seen in coastal and agricultural areas. There was a 59% increase in services for KC from 2000 to 2015.Conclusions: Age-standardised rates for KC are relatively stable in SA, but regional variations are evident. Services for KC continue to rise.Implications for public health: This is the first systematic report of KC in SA. We demonstrate the utility of using validated Medicare data for assessing KC incidence and trends.

Non-melanoma skin cancer in Serbia (1999-2015) -the need for national prevention and control strategy

“…After analyzing ASIR of NMSC in our study, noticeable differences between gender were found: they were much higher in men than in women during the whole study period (1999-2015). Our results are compatible with findings from studies in other countries (4,33,34,35). Incidence rates tend to be higher in men than in women most likely because in Serbia, men are more likely to have an outdoor occupation.…”

“…Our study showed that NMSC is the most common among the elderly; the age-specific incidence rates is the highest in the age group over 70 years (50%) and very low in the younger age (3%). The age distribution of NMSC cases is similar to other reports (4,25,26,27,28). Many studies have confirmed that cumulative exposure to UVR, especially in the first two decades of life, plays the key role in carcinogenic process of skin cancer (7,8).…”

“…Restrictions on the use of salon tanning in Serbia could certainly prevent the growth of incidence rate of NMSC in the future. At first glance, low mortality rate of NMSC along with the lower age-standardized incidence rates in Serbia (Table 2) than in other countries (4,6,42,43) may not qualify NMSC prevention as the national financial resource's optimal candidate. This attitude is, of course, understanda le due to the fact that Serbia is among the poorer countries in the world and already has very high mortality rates in other malignant diseases.…”

“…NMSC is one of the most rapidly increasing cancers worldwide (2,3). The world's highest incidence is among the white population of Australia and New Zealand (4) and it is very low among the black population (5). In the United States NMSC accounts for over 5.4 million cases in more than 3.3 million people and more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined (6).…”

Association of Age-Related Cataract With Skin Cancer in an Australian Population

“…39 For skin cancer, MBS data captures all but 1.6% of procedures and prevalence estimates from these data have been shown to differ from other sources for those aged ≥80 years. 32 To address this limitation, individuals who received health care services under the Department of Veteran's Affairs program were excluded from the study. 40 Additionally, the aged care eligibility assessment used to ascertain the history of skin cancer and cataract only records up to 10 health conditions; the aged care eligibility assessors only report those conditions that have been diagnosed by a suitably qualified individual and impact on the person's need for assistance.…”