Early Detection

Early detection can be defined as detecting skin cancer prior to symptoms or as soon as practicable after the development of signs or symptoms, and is the key to saving lives and reducing the impact of scars from surgery.

Getting Skin Checked

Self-checking

Routine checking of your own skin, and that of your family, is recommended by the Cancer Society of New Zealand. Look for any skin changes and watch for new or changing freckles and moles. There is some evidence of benefit from self-screening. (2) The greatest delay in treatment usually occurs before the first visit to the doctor.

General Practitioners (GPs)

General Practitioners (GPs), though not specialists in skin cancer, are appropriately trained and qualified to check skin lesions, and are able to recommend the best approach for managing any suspicious skin lesion. A Cancer Society study1 concluded that there was a high level of expertise in diagnosis of skin lesions and of the need to biopsy suspicious legions. GPs had somewhat less diagnostic skill than dermatologists, particularly for non melanoma skin cancer, but nevertheless had a "high level of expertise". (1)

Dermatologists

Dermatologists are medical doctors especially trained in diseases of the skin. They have a minimum of 13 years of training. There are about 40 practising dermatologists in New Zealand. Patients are generally only seen by appointment. Most dermatologists prefer patients to be referred by their general practitioner, but can be contacted directly by people wanting to find out their referral requirements. The website of the New Zealand Dermatologists Society (www.dermnetnz.org) is useful for information on a range of skin diseases, including skin cancer.

Pharmacists

Pharmacists are not trained in clinical diagnosis of skin cancers.

Mole Mapping/Screening

Mole mapping, sometimes called dermoscopy, is a routine general skin examination of people without symptoms, and is carried out by using various technologies.

There is a range of mole mapping devices on the market. These use a variety of sophisticated technology, ranging from simple photography to light guides attached to digital cameras to illuminate under the skin. They aim to take a series of 'snapshots' of skin markings that will be compared over time for any changes.

The Cancer Society of New Zealand is not aware of any trials establishing the effectiveness of routine screening in diagnosing melanoma. The Society is also unaware of any studies that show that routine screening reduces deaths from melanoma. The Society recommends that those who have a mole map scan should be aware that it is not a diagnostic tool and is not definite in diagnosing melanomas. Instead, it identifies lesions, which could be melanoma or other forms of skin cancer, and that require further assessment by the doctor. It is up to a person's referring doctor to decide on the appropriate action and organise treatment as necessary.

References

  1. McGee, R M Elwood, et al. (1992, published 1994) "The recognition and management of melanoma and other skin lesions by general practitioners in New Zealand" New Zealand Medical Journal 107: 287-290.
  2. Elwood, M., What are the prospects for population screening for melanoma?, in Melanoma: Critical Debates, J. Newton Bishop and M. Gore, Editors. 2002, Blackwell Science: Bodmin. p.106-120.