MelanomaMelanoma is a non-communicable disease and, according to the Melanoma Institute of Australia, it is a malignant skin cancer that affects thousands of individuals. It is a widespread and serious non-communicable disease, making it a significant problem in Australia. Both a biomedical perspective and a sociological perspective must be taken into account to enable health practitioners to have an in-depth understanding of melanoma, and thus develop effective and efficient treatment and prevention methods. Melanoma is an extremely important problem, with 75% of skin cancer deaths in Australia attributed to melanoma, making it the most dangerous form of skin cancer in the country (AIHW 2010). The AIHW also states that Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world, with more than 12,500 Australians diagnosed each year and 1,500 deaths recorded each year. The Melanoma Institute of Australia states that melanoma is "the most common cancer among young Australians aged 15 to 39" and that "rates have doubled in the 20 years from 1986 to 2006." The incidence of melanoma is increasing more rapidly than that of any other major cancer. Due to the high incidence and mortality rates of the disease in Australia, melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer in the country, making it a very serious non-communicable disease. Science and logic underpin the biomedical approach to health and disease. . Willis and Elmer (2011) emphasize that biomedicine focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of individual anatomical structures of the body, with strong references to science and medicine. According to the biomedical approach, the main cause of melanoma is excessive exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the...... middle of paper ......ww.aihw.gov.au/ cancer /skin/Australian Government Cancer Australia Melanoma of the Skin (2014) retrieved from http://canceraustralia.gov.au/affected-cancer/cancer-types/melanoma-skinMelanoma Institute Australia Melanoma Facts and Statistics (2011) retrieved from http://www.melanoma.org.au/about-melanoma/melanoma-skin-cancer-facts.htmlMelanoma Institute Australia Overview Melanoma (2011) retrieved from http://www.melanoma.org.au/about-melanoma /melanoma- Overview.htmlNational Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health Melanoma Treatment (PDQ) Treatment Option Overview 2012 retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/melanoma/Patient/page4The Cancer Council NSW and NSW Health Department Strategic Skin Cancer Prevention Plan for New South Wales (2001) Gladesville NSW The Cancer Council New South Wales and NSW Health Department 2001