Yes, Aboriginal people do get skin cancers, including melanoma and non-melanoma types. While the incidence rate is lower compared to non-Indigenous Australians, likely due to higher levels of protective melanin in the skin, it is a dangerous misconception that they are not at risk.
While people with a darker skin tone have a lower risk of skin cancer developing, they are still at risk. Get the facts on how to protect yourself and your mob from skin cancer. Click on the headings below to learn ways to protect your skin.
White people appear to have a generally higher vulnerability to skin cancer than other groups. This is probably due to the lack of melanin in lighter skin, making it easier for UV light to cause damage. By contrast, deeper skin tones with more melanin filters at least twice as much UV light.
Who is at risk? Anyone of any age can develop skin cancer but it becomes more common as you get older. Many factors can increase your risk of skin cancer, including having: pale or freckled skin, especially if it burns easily and doesn't tan.
It is important to know that anyone can get skin cancer. While skin cancer is more common in people with lighter skin, it's a dangerous misconception that people with darker skin times aren't at risk.
Myth: “People with white skin aren't Aboriginal or are only part Aboriginal.” Fact: Aboriginality cannot be defined by skin colour or 'percentage of Aboriginal blood'.
Sun exposure has been estimated to cause around 95% of melanoma cases in areas of high exposure, such as Australia,71 and around 99% of non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia.
Only 5–10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects, whereas the remaining 90–95% have their roots in the environment and lifestyle.
UV exposure causes more than 90% of melanomas in the US.
Indoor tanning exposes people to more intense UV rays than the sun. About 6,200 melanomas are estimated to be caused each year by indoor tanning. Nearly 1 of 3 young non-Hispanic white women ages 16–25 uses indoor tanning each year.
For all cancers combined, the cancer incidence rate among Indigenous Australians in 2014–2018 was 257 new cases of cancer per 100,000 population. For Indigenous males, cancer incidence rates were highest for prostate cancer (43 cases per 100,000; 765 cases), followed by lung cancer (41 cases per 100,000; 733 cases).
Today there are increasing numbers of 'wrong skin' marriages, in which people who would traditionally be prevented from marrying become partners. A result is families attempting to accommodate the contradictions this presents for the kinship system and wider relationships.
With some of the highest melanoma incidence rates in Australia, the coastal regions of Queensland are notable hotspots. This is largely due to intense UV radiation exposure and the common outdoor-oriented lifestyle.
Anyone can get skin cancer, but people with certain characteristics are at greater risk:
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is common and slow-growing, but should not be ignored. It can invade nearby skin and deeper tissues over time. Untreated BCC can cause local tissue damage, including cartilage or bone, leading to disfigurement and functional problems.
The Australian genome clusters together with Highland Papua New Guinea (PNG) samples and is thus positioned roughly between South and East Asians. Apart from the neighboring Bougainville Papuans, the closest populations to the Aboriginal Australian are the Munda speakers of India and the Aeta from the Philippines (Fig.
The Australian courts have developed a 3-point legal test to determine whether an individual person is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, which is the: person is of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. person identifies themselves as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person.