New Zealand's Most Serious Skin Cancer Deaths Drop by One Third

This is most likely due to increased awareness which leads to earlier diagnosis, as well as more effective diagnostic services and treatments, said an editorial published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.

Melanoma usually occurs on the parts of the body that have been overexposed to the sun.

Deaths from melanoma at all ages have fallen considerably, said authors from the University of Auckland, University of Waikato and the Clinical Trials New Zealand.

There were 333 deaths in 2021, and if the 2012 rates had continued, there would have been 164 more, the editorial said.

The favorable mortality trends could be due to reduced deeper, poor prognosis melanoma, it said, adding the reduced mortality may also reflect increased survival rates of patients with advanced melanoma due to new treatments.

However, the authors warned melanoma remains a big problem in New Zealand, and the number of new cases has not reduced.

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