SYDNEY—Former Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer is on the verge of creating the world's first skin cancer vaccine.
The pioneering scientist, who discovered a vaccine for cervical cancer, has revealed the skin cancer vaccine could be ready within the next five to 10 years, News Limited reports.
Prof Frazer envisages the vaccine could be given to millions of children between the ages of 10 and 12.
Human trials are expected to begin next year after testing on animals was shown to be successful.
Professor Frazer will reveal the progress of his ground-breaking work at the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress in Brisbane tomorrow.
"If we can get encouraging results we will try and push it on as fast as we can," Prof Frazer told News Limited.
"It's really a given that we try to focus on health problems that are significant ones."
More than 380,000 Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer, with 1600 people per year dying of the disease.
More Teens Scorching in Full Heat of Day-Report
A new report shows one in four teenagers continue to get sunburnt on a typical summer weekend, compared with just 14 per cent of adults.
Adults appeared to be heeding warnings about peak UV periods, with just 67 per cent going into the sun in the prime of the day in 2007 compared with 73 per cent three years earlier.
But exposure among younger people increased from 80 to 82 per cent over the same period, showing sun safety messages are not getting through.
The beach and the swimming pool were the most common settings for burning, and almost a third who scorched themselves saying they had "forgotten" to protect themselves.
Some teenagers also wrongly believed they needed to increase their sun exposure to get more vitamin D, despite guidelines stating most people received enough through normal daily activity, even with sun protection.
"Among teens who saw media reports about vitamin D, 17 per cent said the reports made them think they needed to go out in the sun more without protection in order to get enough vitamin D," said Professor Ian Olver, chief executive of Cancer Council Australia, which commissioned the National Sun Protection Survey.
"Adults are clearly getting the message, but we need to more effectively target younger people."
The phone survey of about 650 adolescents and 5,000 adults did present some good news, with trends showing fewer teenagers were deliberately seeking a tan.
The bronzed ideal also appeared to be fading in the eyes of adults, with fewer now believing that suntanned skin looks more healthy.
The survey showed up state-based differences, with Queensland and NSW residents the most likely to burn and the least likely to wear clothes that covered their arms and legs while in the sun.
Queenslanders were least likely to wear sunscreen but were most likely to wear hats, especially the safest, wide-brimmed variety.
Statistics show more than 430,000 Australians get skin cancer every year, with 1,600 dying from the disease annually.
Sydney dermatologist Dr Stephen Shumack said skin cancer in young people was more common than thought.
"We regularly see the effects of sun damage in young people, with patients in their 20s requiring disfiguring treatments at times," Dr Shumack said.
- Teenagers are still out in the sun in large numbers - 82 per cent are out during peak UV times compared to 67 per cent of adults.
- Teenagers and adults spend an average of two hours in the sun during peak UV periods.
- Almost a third of teenagers who get sunburnt say they forgot to protect themselves.
- Only four per cent of teenagers follow recommendations and wear a wide-brimmed hat, compared to 24 per cent of adults.
- About 40 per cent of burnt teenagers get scorched at the beach or the swimming pool, while 20 per cent get burnt during active recreation activities.
- Adults are most likely to get burnt in passive recreation (20 per cent), followed by the beach or pool (17 per cent).
- Teenagers are most likely to burn their shoulders (42 per cent) followed by their face (41 per cent).
