The incidence of non‐melanocytic skin cancers in an Australian population: results of a five‐year prospective study

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Abstract
Two thousand, six hundred and sixty-nine persons who were aged 40 years and older attended for examination of the light-exposed areas of the head and neck, forearms and dorsa of the hands during a skin-cancer survey of the population of Maryborough, which was conducted annually for five years from 1982-1986 inclusive. Sixty (2.25%) persons-12 persons each with a squamous-cell carcinoma and 48 persons with a total of 51 basal-cell carcinoma-had at least one non-melanocytic skin cancer at the first examination. One thousand, nine hundred and eigty-one (74% of the study population) persons were seen on more than one occasion, which allowed for 6288 person-years of follow-up for the determination of the incidence of new cancers. The findings showed a calculated minimal age-standardized incidence rate of 873 non-melanocytic skin cancers/100 000 population each year. The minimal incidence rate for basal-cell carcinomas was 672 201 cases/100 000 population each year. The rate ratio of the incidence of basal-cell carcinomas to that of squamous-cell carciomas was 3.34 to one. Age, sex, skin reaction to sunlight and occupation all were significant factors in the determination of the risk of developing non-melanocytic skin cancers. The enormous costs that are involved in the treatment of nonmelanocytic skin cancers and related lesions suggest that more time, effort and money need to be spent to reduce what has become a major public-health problem in Australia.