Supporting People with Cancer Project
Improving melanoma and skin cancer awareness in regional and rural Australia
The Supporting People with Cancer Project is a patient and consumer centred education initiative aimed at helping melanoma and skin cancer patients living in regional and rural Australia.
The initiative included a consumer survey to investigate knowledge gaps, attitudes and behaviours towards melanoma diagnosis and treatment amongst regional and rural Australians. The project also aimed to understand how access to skin cancer support could be improved, and to build a network of patient advocates.
The outcomes of the consumer survey have informed the development and delivery of evidence-based education resources targeted at melanoma and skin cancer patients living in regional and rural areas. Visit the Self-Skin Checks, No Regrets webpage to access these resources.
Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials coordinated the project, and the resulting Self-Skin Checks, No Regrets education campaign was developed in consultation with an expert Steering Committee and in partnership with Melanoma Patients Australia. Funding for the project was provided by Cancer Australia.
Consumer survey results
Resources
Visit the Self-Skin Checks, No Regrets webpage to access:
- Information about how regional and rural Australians are affected by skin cancer
- Self-skin checklist using ABCDE guidelines
- Self-skin check video
- MASC Trials Board Member and Chief Investigator, A/Prof Victoria Mar in a video discussing skin checks, primary melanoma diagnosis, wound and scar management
- Dr Scott Temple (Regional GP) in a video discussing skin cancer and the importance of self skin checks in rural and regional Australia
- A/Prof David Gyorki in a video discussing surgery for primary melanoma diagnosis, local treatment and lymph node surgery, and surgery for advanced melanoma
- Skin cancer health information guide
Steering Committee
Principal Investigator – Associate Professor Victoria Mar
A/Prof Victoria Mar is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists, Director of the Victorian Melanoma Service at the Alfred Hospital, and an NHMRC Early Career Fellow at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. A/Prof Mar is also a Melanoma and Skin Cancer (MASC) Trials Board Member, and is the Chief Investigator for the MASC Trials IMAGE Trial.
Steering Committee members
- Prof Monika Janda, University of Queensland
- Dr Scott Temple, General Practitioner
- Victoria Beedle, CEO Melanoma Patients Australia
- Dr Victoria Cox, Victorian Melanoma Service, Alfred Hospital
- Gabrielle Byars, Chief Executive, Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials
- Tiiu Sildva, Clinical Research Associate, Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials
Partner Organisations
- Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging & Diagnosis (ACEMID)
- Melanoma Patients Australia
- Australia Melanoma Consumer Alliance
- Melanoma WA
- Melanoma TAS
- Melanoma Institute Australia
- The Melanoma & Skin Cancer Advocacy Network (MSCAN)
- Aime St Clair Foundation
- Centre for Health Services Research
- Skin Cancer Foundation
Contact and more information
Project news
To contact MASC trials, email hello@masc.org.au
Visit the Self-Skin Checks, No Regrets webpage.
For information on how to participate in a clinical trial, click here.
6 June 2022
New skin cancer campaign for regional Australians
Follow MASC Trials on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see posts about the Self-Skin Checks, No Regrets campaign.
Self-Skin Checks, No Regrets is supported by
