Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network - MSCAN

Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network - MSCAN Over half a million Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2020. This includes melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

The Melanoma & Skin Cancer Advocacy Network (MSCAN) is a national, independent, consumer-led advocacy group spearheading the battle against Australia’s national cancer – skin cancer. Skin cancers annually account for around 80% of all newly diagnosed cancers (mostly caused by exposure to the sun), and GPs have over 1 million patient consultations per year for skin cancer. The incidence of skin cancer in Australia is one of the highest in the world, two to three times the rates in Canada, the US and the UK. MSCAN is a new Health Promotion Charity that has been established due to frustrations that not enough is being done to lower rates of skin cancer nor help people that have been affected by this disease. It is all too familiar to many Australians and the personal, community and economic burden is tremendous. MSCAN’s three key pillars are:
• Innovation in care and research
• Advocacy and policy
• Information and resources

There are still too many Australian families that face the challenges presented by a melanoma / skin cancer diagnosis. MSCAN wants Australia to get skin serious!

Congratulations to our travel bursary recipients!MSCAN, together with the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MS...
25/09/2026

Congratulations to our travel bursary recipients!

MSCAN, together with the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MSCNO), are delighted to announce the nurses joining us at this year's Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Conference — thanks to a travel bursary supporting them to attend.

👏 Stacey Coke, Cancer Network WA Skin and Melanoma Nursing Team:
Stacey brings deep experience in primary melanoma management — from patient education and early detection to surveillance and multidisciplinary care coordination. She also supports patients navigating cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma, where treatment options are evolving fast.

👏 Catherine Tromp, Clinical Nurse Specialist, regional Victoria:
Catherine works across a plastic surgery clinic, alongside a high-risk skin cancer doctor, and within a public hospital plastic surgery service. She supports patients with high-risk skin cancers through their entire surgical journey — post-op care, patient education, wound management and histology review.

Nurses like Stacey and Catherine are at the heart of better outcomes for melanoma and skin cancer patients across Australia. We can't wait to welcome them to Melbourne!

📅 Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Conference
📍 State Library, Melbourne | 19 November
🔗 More info: https://mscan.org.au/events/melanoma-and-skin-cancer-nurses-conference-2026/

The Australasian Melanoma Conference (AMC) Organising Committee is supporting five consumers to attend AMC in Melbourne ...
22/09/2026

The Australasian Melanoma Conference (AMC) Organising Committee is supporting five consumers to attend AMC in Melbourne on 20-21 November 2026. This is provided through a Consumer Travel & Registration Bursary.

A consumer is defined as a patient, carer, or community member with lived experience of melanoma or skin cancer. Consumer representatives that have not previously attended a national melanoma or skin cancer conference are invited to apply.

Across the five positions, the Committee is seeking diversity across the 5 positions and a focus on priority populations:

* geography (metro vs regional/rural)
* cultural background
* age
* experiences
* people living in rural and remote areas
* people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

More information and the application form can be found at https://mscan.org.au/events/amc-consumer-bursary/

Applications close on Friday 9 October 2026.

MSCAN and our wonderful partners, the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MSCNO), are delighted to welcome Maria...
17/09/2026

MSCAN and our wonderful partners, the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MSCNO), are delighted to welcome Maria Buckingham to the MSCNO Committee.

Maria Buckingham is a registered nurse, healthcare educator and clinical leader with extensive experience in skin cancer surveillance, clinical governance and professional education. With a clinical background spanning burns intensive care, reconstructive plastic surgery and dermatology, she has developed a particular expertise in early skin cancer detection and the advancement of skin surveillance practice in Australia.

Maria has more than a decade of experience in the leadership and management of skin cancer surveillance services across Australia and New Zealand, with a strong focus on clinical quality, governance, education and best-practice standards. She has contributed to the development of skin cancer surveillance programs, clinical policies and professional training in dermoscopy and total body imaging.

A longstanding educator in the field, Maria has collaborated with the Australasian College of Dermatologists in the development of the Certificate in Melanography Essentials and has been an assessor and facilitator for the program since 2016. Her broader interests include improving the quality, consistency and accessibility of skin cancer detection services and supporting clinicians to deliver safe, evidence-informed care.

Maria brings to committee roles a combination of clinical expertise, governance experience, educational leadership and a strong commitment to advancing skin cancer prevention and early detection.

Thank you Maria for sharing your knowledge and skills with melanoma and skin cancer nurses all around Australia 🙌

MSCAN and our wonderful partners, the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MSCNO), are delighted to welcome Dan F...
15/09/2026

MSCAN and our wonderful partners, the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MSCNO), are delighted to welcome Dan Fitzgerald to the MSCNO Committee.

Dan is the Clinical Nurse Consultant for Melanoma at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, a role funded by the McGrath Foundation. With over 13 years of experience in cancer care services, he has been involved across Metro North Hospitals in providing Cancer Care Coordination for the last 4 years, having previously worked in training and education for cancer care nurses. Dan completed a Masters of Cancer Nursing from QUT in 2020 and has a passion for providing high quality, evidence-based care for patients with Melanoma, with a focus on patients having systemic and radiation therapy.

Thank you Dan for sharing your knowledge and skills with melanoma and skin cancer nurses all around Australia 🙌

11/09/2026

It's been a BIG week in Canberra talking about melanoma, skin cancer, rare cancers and timely & equitable access to medicines.

Thank you to Bernadette from MSCAN's Community Action Team for sharing her lived experience with melanoma and skin cancer at Parliament House. What a powerhouse!

Lived experience, driving change.

David Smith

11/09/2026

It’s been a BIG week in Canberra talking about melanoma, skin cancer, rare cancers and timely and equitable access to medicines.

Thank you to Bernadette from MSCAN’s Community Action Team for sharing her lived experience with melanoma and skin cancer at Parliament House. What a powerhouse!

Lived experience, driving change.

David Smith MP

MSCAN welcomes Tania Motton to the MSCAN Board. Tania brings more than 30 years of experience across financial services,...
06/09/2026

MSCAN welcomes Tania Motton to the MSCAN Board. Tania brings more than 30 years of experience across financial services, agribusiness, natural resources and consulting to MSCAN. She has led national teams and complex initiatives across Australia and internationally, including senior roles with Westpac, NAB and ANZ.

Tania is passionate about improving cancer outcomes in Australia, particularly for people living in rural and regional communities, and brings a strong understanding of the commercial and community environments across metropolitan and regional Australia.

MSCAN’s Directors bring diverse experience and skill sets to the organisation. We’re now six years old and looking forward to the next phase of growth and impact.

Find out more about our fabulous Directors: https://mscan.org.au/about-us/our-team/

It's Spring!Wow, check out what this means for the average UV levels at noon around the country 🔆It's time to get skin s...
04/09/2026

It's Spring!

Wow, check out what this means for the average UV levels at noon around the country 🔆

It's time to get skin serious.

Remember to slip, slap, slop, seek and slide. It's what all the cool kids are doing.

Catch up on MSCAN's latest news in our Spring Newsletter.🤝 Our new partnership with Gather My Crew✨ Our upcoming nationa...
01/09/2026

Catch up on MSCAN's latest news in our Spring Newsletter.

🤝 Our new partnership with Gather My Crew
✨ Our upcoming national Melanoma and Skin Cancer Nurses Conference
🩺 Our time in Perth at the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia (CNSA) Congress and engaging with brilliant cancer nurses from across Australia
🎓 Our two new free online nurse CPD education modules
🌐 Our trip to Hamburg, Germany, as Australia’s representative at the Melanoma International Patient Advocates Coalition (MIPAC) meeting, and European Post Chicago Melanoma and Skin Cancer Meeting
💉 A new broad listing for immunotherapy to benefit cancer patients

Find out more: https://us10.campaign-archive.com/?u=58b9625cf38ad98e4ac5d65e7&id=fa7cfffc48

MSCAN welcomes the announcement from the Hon. Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing, that Keytruda (pembrolizum...
31/08/2026

MSCAN welcomes the announcement from the Hon. Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing, that Keytruda (pembrolizumab) will be available from tomorrow for multiple advanced/ metastatic cancers in an expanded Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listing.

MSCAN is proud to have advocated alongside other patient-led organisations for this decision.

The broad listing of immunotherapy is a new and innovative approach and super important for cancer patients in Australia. Clinicians are able to use clinical judgement and discretion, guided by the best available clinical evidence, together with a patient's preferences and circumstances to determine access.

It's a fantastic announcement for health equity and for hundreds of cancer patients, including the melanoma and skin cancer patient community.

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80 Drummond Street
Melbourne, VIC
3053

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