Skin cancer screenings associated with greater incidence of thin melanoma lesions

Source: Healio, April 2022

Results from a quality-improvement study showed that primary care-based melanoma screening correlated with an increased detection of thin melanoma, according to data published in JAMA Dermatology.

“Melanoma can be detected with a simple naked-eye examination, and stage at diagnosis is the best predictor of prognosis, so systematic skin cancer screening may reduce melanoma mortality,” Martha Matsumoto, MD, a dermatologist in Pittsburgh who is affiliated with United Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “However, to our knowledge, no randomized clinical trials of melanoma screening have been performed.”

To compare thickness-specific incidence of melanoma among screened and unscreened patients, Matsumoto and colleagues conducted an observational study that comprised 595,799 individuals. Of those, 144,851 received at least one screening.

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