GPs need to be trained to meet skin cancer ‘tsunami’

There are about 500 dermatology specialists in Australia, too few to manage a looming crisis. Photo: Getty

A senior cancer epidemiologist is warning that Australia faces a “tsunami” of skin cancer cases over the next 20 years, and too few trained doctors to meet the challenge.

With only about 550 dermatology specialists in the country, Professor Michael Kimlin, a director of the Skin Cancer College Australasia, says GPs will need to be trained up and accredited to meet the crisis.