Controversies in Skin Cancer Screening: The Debate Rages On

Source: DermatologyTimes, March 2022

Dermatologists continue to be split on the pros and cons of skin cancer screening, from overdiagnosis to early detection of thin melanomas.

Controversies exist in every field of medicine and Dermatology is no exception. Survival from melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is heavily dependent on tumor stage. As such, skin cancer screening has the potential to reduce melanoma mortality by detecting tumors at an earlier stage which would positively effect prognosis. Despite this, the benefits of skin cancer screening remain controversial.1

Jason Bok Lee, MD, presented at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Association Annual Meeting with the session, “2022 Debates: Controversies in Dermatology”. The meeting was held March 25 to 29, in Boston, Massachusetts. Lee, who is a professor, medical director, and clinical vice chair of the Jefferson Dermatopathology Center; director of the dermatopathology fellowship; and director of the Jefferson Pigmented Lesion Clinic, all at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, argued against skin cancer screening in a specific sub-session, titled, “Skin Cancer Screening: The USPSTF Has It All Wrong”.2

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