Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network - MSCAN

Home
Australia
Melbourne, VIC
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 can

cer 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!

20/08/2026

MSCAN is always very pleased when there's good news for the melanoma and skin cancer patient community! And today we're reporting news on an important clinical trial.

In summary, mRNA-based cancer therapy is an exciting space for clinical trials, melanoma and skin cancer.

And for the the longer version: Today, positive topline results were released from the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial evaluating intismeran autogene (V940) in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as adjuvant treatment for patients with completely resected stage IIB–IV melanoma.

Intismeran autogene is an investigational mRNA-based individualised neoantigen therapy. It is specifically designed for an individual patient based on the unique set of mutations within that person's tumour. The goal is to train and activate the immune system to recognise and fight cancer.

This marks the first positive Phase 3 readout for an individualised neoantigen therapy and an mRNA-based cancer therapy. In the pre-specified interim analysis, the combination demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) compared with Keytruda alone.

Full data, including overall survival results, are still to come.

18/08/2026

Precision Helping.

That’s what we’re focused on! We know that support isn’t a one-size-fits-all. A person navigating melanoma has different challenges to someone caring for a parent with dementia, recovering from a broken leg, or grieving.

The more relevant and practical the guidance, the more confident people become. And the more confident people become, the more likely they are to lean in.

MSCAN in partnership with are helping communities show up with more confidence and a lot more clarity.

Find out more: https://mscan.org.au/gather-my-crew/

13/08/2026

Cancer Nurses are the bees knees.

MSCAN is proud to partner with the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MSCNO). They have specialist knowledge, years of experience and they're uniquely placed to provide support for patients at a crucial time in their lives.

Today we’re celebrating all Cancer Nurses. Australians with lived experience of cancer are very grateful for your support.

Thank you for the difference you are making 💜

11/08/2026

MSCAN is very excited to announce our partnership with Gather My Crew.

When someone we care about gets a serious diagnosis of melanoma, skin cancer or less common types of the disease, the people around them usually want to help. But wanting to help and knowing how to help are very different things.

Here is our solution!

The Gather My Crew app supports people to organise help and care. It takes good intentions and turns them into meaningful, coordinated and dependable help for someone who is doing it tough.

The partnership between MSCAN and Gather My Crew means that if someone sets up a ‘crew’ in the Gather My Crew app, and lists ‘melanoma or skin cancer’, they will now receive tailored guidance from MSCAN directly within the app.

It’s free to download and use, and it’s awesome.

Find out more: https://mscan.org.au/gather-my-crew/

09/08/2026

Did you know that MSCAN has a range of podcasts that are informative and super popular with the melanoma and skin cancer patient community?

MSCAN's Spot on Podcasts can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast hosts. You'll also find them on the MSCAN website:

https://mscan.org.au/learning-hub/podcasts/

Here's a little snippet from our podcast on adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy featuring Associate Professor Rachel Roberts-Thomson 🎧

04/08/2026

Training for the City2Surf, Sydney Marathon, Melbourne Marathon, Canberra Marathon or another event?

In addition to the health benefits of exercising, it's a great opportunity to fundraise for MSCAN!

Setting up a fundraising page is an easy one.

Check out the events:

https://mscan.grassrootz.com/

17/07/2026

We're offering a Travel Bursary to two nurses to attend our upcoming Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Conference ✈️ 🚙 🏨

If you're a nurse and you live more than 50kms from the Melbourne State Library, we'd love you to apply!

We will cover the cost of flights/petrol, one night of accommodation and conference registration for two lucky nurses.

In 150 words or less, tell us what you are hoping to get from the conference and how this will impact your workplace.

Send your entry to [email protected] by 31 July 2026.

Thanks to the RMBL Foundation for sponsoring this exciting initiative. Nurses are at the heart of patient care, and MSCAN and the RMBL Foundation are proud to support the incredible melanoma and skin cancer nurses working in communities across Australia.

07/07/2026

Three interesting facts about skin for World Skin Health Day:

👍 The skin is the body's largest organ. It accounts for around 15% of total body weight. E.g. For someone weighing 70 kg, it means their skin weighs approximately 10.5 kg.

🔆 Nearly 1 in 3 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer is caused by working under the sun, according to joint estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

🧐 Melanoma can appear on the body in places the sun rarely reaches, such as the soles of feet or under nails—showing that checking your skin from head to toe is just as important as protecting it from the sun.

Love your skin. It protects you every day, so take a moment to protect it too.

06/07/2026

Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Conference: Advancing Melanoma & Skin Cancer Care: Surveillance, Treatment and Innovation.

If you're a nurse working in melanoma / skin cancer, registrations are now open for the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Conference.

State Library | Melbourne | 19 November

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/melanoma-skin-cancer-nurses-conference-tickets-1982929409242

Keep an eye on our social media this week... we'll be sharing details of how to apply for a travel bursary!

29/06/2026

Yes, there's a heatwave in Europe.

But the UV across Europe is lower than Australia's UV in summer, by a long shot ☀🌡

Australia's UV Index consistently exceeds 10 during summer, which is why sunburn is so common and why Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

Check out the UV across the UK, Paris and Berlin...

Address

80 Drummond Street
Melbourne, VIC
3053

Website

https://mscan.org.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network - MSCAN posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network - MSCAN:

Featured

Outback Academy Australia

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Melbourne?