Questionnaire helps estimate melanoma risk
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A detailed questionnaire and a brief examination appear useful in identifying people at high risk of melanoma, researchers report.
The use of these procedures during a routine medical visit can help doctors estimate a patient’s absolute risk of developing melanoma, Dr. Thomas A. Fears told Reuters Health. High-risk individuals could undergo further interventions, such as a complete skin examination, counseling to avoid sun exposure, and regular self-examination.
Fears, at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues studied data from a study involving 718 non-Hispanic white patients with a median age of 49 years who had confirmed melanoma.
As the investigators explain in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, their analysis also included responses to detailed questions by interviewers, and US data on melanoma incidence and mortality.
To estimate the probability of developing melanoma over the next 5 years, the researchers established that all patients should be asked if they have a light, medium or dark complexion. Men should be asked whether they get a blistering suntan and women should be asked how easily they tan after prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Patients should then have a quick examination of the back and shoulders.
The results of the questionnaire and examination identified people who had an increase chance of developing melanoma. However, the absolute individual risk varied widely depending on age, location and other factors.
The researchers stress that these methods are not meant to identify actual cases of melanoma, but to assist in identifying those at high risk who should undergo a complete skin examination.
“Such interventions in high-risk individuals,” concluded Fears, “may lead to detection of early, curable disease or to a decrease in their risk of developing melanoma.”
SOURCE Journal of Clinical Oncology, August 1, 2006.
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