Melanoma Increases: a UV Exposure or Diagnostic Scrutiny Problem?
Source: Medscape, October 2022
The growing incidence of melanoma appears to be more related to increased diagnostic scrutiny from clinicians than to increased UV radiation exposure, a new analysis suggests.
More specifically, the researchers found that the correlations between UV-related variables and melanoma were inconsistent and weak while the correlations between diagnostic scrutiny variables and melanoma were consistently positive and stronger.
“As physicians, despite our best intentions, we may be the source of the epidemic of melanoma diagnosis," first author Adewole S. Adamson, MD, an assistant professor with the Department of Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, told Medscape Medical News. “The current pattern of melanoma incidence in the US is less associated with UV radiation exposure, and more associated with medical practice."