Exploring the Need for Better Melanoma Surveillance

Source: Oncology Nursing News, June 2018

Surveillance of potentially cancerous skin lesions is key in early detection and treatment of the disease, which vastly improves outcomes.
Since 20 %to 30% of patients with stage I or II primary cutaneous malignant melanoma will face a recurrence, it is crucial that this patient population – along with their caregivers – can spot something on their body that should be seen by their dermatologist or oncology team, according to a study presented at the Oncology Nursing Society Annual Congress.
“We felt it was important to conduct this project because it was almost self-evident that patients’ health support teams were playing a huge role in detecting melanomas. And we were doubtful that existing melanoma education programs were being designed with this in mind,” Andrea Fry, AOCNP, FNP-BC, NYU Langone Health, said in an interview with Oncology Nursing News.