Experience of a public education programme on early detection of cutaneous malignant melanoma.
BMJPublished 6 August 1988Open access
V.R. Doherty, R. M. MacKie
Citations123
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
A public education campaign is described which aimed at encouraging earlier self recognition and thus treatment of cutaneous malignant melanoma and a statistically significant rise was seen in the percentage of thin melanomas with a good prognosis that were treated and a concomitant significant fall in the proportion of thick lesions with a poor prognosis.
Abstract
A public education campaign is described which aimed at encouraging earlier self recognition and thus treatment of cutaneous malignant melanoma. The unique aspect of this campaign was that the changes in the numbers of referrals of patients with melanomas and the changes in the hospital workload associated with this programme were quantified. In the calendar year of the campaign and the following year a statistically significant rise was seen in the percentage of thin melanomas with a good prognosis that were treated and a concomitant significant fall in the proportion of thick lesions with a poor prognosis.
Keywords
Medicine
Annals of SurgeryThickness, Cross-Sectional Areas and Depth of Invasion in the Prognosis of Cutaneous Melanoma
2,425 Citations1970Alexander Breslow
The depth of invasion was studied using the criteria for staging of Clark et al.2 to see if maximal cross-sectional area, thickness, stage of invasion, or a combination of these can be of value in assessing the prognosis of cutaneous melanoma.
CancerThe influence of surgical margins and prognostic factors predicting the risk of local recurrence in 3445 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma
183 Citations1985Marshall M. Urist, Charles M. Balch +4 more
The data demonstrate that: (1) the risk of local recurrence rises with increasing tumor thickness, presence of ulceration, and age; (2) melanomas less than 1 mm thick have a very lowLocal recurrence rate, even when excised with margins of 2 cm or less; and (3) local Recurrence is a poor prognostic sign because regional and systemic metastases subsequently develop in many patients.
Journal of Cutaneous PathologyPrognostic Factors in the Treatment of Cutaneous Melanoma
111 Citations1979Alexander Breslow
The incidence of metastasis in cutaneous melanoma is proportional to maximal tumor thickness and the relationship is linear for extremity melanoma but not for tumors from all body sites, probably due to intrinsic differences in tumors from different sites.
CancerFactors related to patient delay in seeking medical attention for cutaneous malignant melanoma
109 Citations1984Lydia Temoshok, Ralph J. DiClemente +3 more
Patients who minimized the seriousness of their condition were more likely to seek treatment sooner, perhaps because this reduced fear and anxiety about the disease or its treatment, and hence improved prognosis of malignant melanoma.
Journal of the American Academy of DermatologySun and malignant melanoma
106 Citations1984Alfred W. Kopf, Margaret L. Kripke +1 more
Despite the increasing data that implicate sunlight as an important factor in the development of certain types of malignant melanomas in humans, the role of solar electromagnetic radiation in the pathogenesis of human malign melanomas is yet to be determined.
BMJReasons for poor prognosis in British patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma.
99 Citations1986V.R. Doherty, R.M. MacKie
A public education campaign was launched in the west of Scotland in June 1985 with the aim of improving recognition of early malignant melanoma and in the next six months the proportion of patients with primary melanomas categorised as "thin, good prognosis" had risen from 38% to 62%, and the proportion with tumours categorising as "thick, poor prognosis".
CancerPrognostic index for malignant melanoma
95 Citations1987Alfred W. Kopf, Dennis F. Gross +10 more
The ability of a Prognostic Index (PI) to accurately predict 5‐year survival rates for 879 Stage I cutaneous malignant melanoma patients seen at New York University Medical Center is verified.
The LancetMALIGNANT MELANOMA IN SCOTLAND 1979-1983
66 Citations1985R.M. MACKIE, David S. Soutar +10 more
Five-year survival rates for the patients registered in 1979 confirm the prognostic value of the tumour-thickness (Breslow) measurement, and shows that methods for early recognition of thin tumours should be encouraged.
Archives of DermatologyMalignant melanoma in southern Arizona. Increasing incidence and sunlight as an etiologic factor
58 Citations1981Michael M. Schreiber
Archives of DermatologyMalignant Melanoma in Southern Arizona
46 Citations1981Michael M. Schreiber
An increasing incidence of malignant melanoma during the past ten years and a very high incidence of this tumor in southern Arizona is demonstrated, probably due to meteorologic and geographic factors allowing large amounts of ultraviolet light to reach the earth's surface.
CancerRelationship between patients' early recognition of melanoma and depth of invasion
40 Citations1982Barrie R. Cassileth, Wallace H. Clark +3 more
The majority of melanomas in this series were not recognized by patients in an early, pre‐elevation, low‐risk phase, and whether an emphasis on identification of melanoma in this phase will lead to an increase in the percent of patients presenting with biologically early, curable disease remains to be tested.
Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyMelanoma/skin cancer screening in Michigan
25 Citations1987Stephen I. Field
The Michigan Dermatological Society sponsors free skin cancer detection clinics annually and following establishment of the program and structure discussed here, 102 volunteer dermatologists screened 4,431 patient-participants in 1986.
Journal of the American Academy of DermatologySkin cancer screening—a local experience
22 Citations1987Thomas G. Olsen, Theresa A. Feeser +2 more
During a local voluntary Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection Week, 983 participants were screened with 356 referrals made to exclude possible malignancy of the skin, with actinic keratosis the most common referral diagnosis.
JAMAScreening for Melanoma and Skin Cancer
14 Citations1986Faye D. Arundell
It would be unfortunate to have negative reviews overshadow effective and efficient screening programs, according to Donald M. Berwick, MD.