Screening for Skin Cancer: An Update of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [Internet]

Excerpt

Background: Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. The majority of skin cancers are non-melanoma cancers, either basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer. The incidence of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer has been increasing over the last three decades.

Purpose: To examine the evidence of benefits and harms of screening for skin cancer in the general population.

Data Sources: MEDLINE and Cochrane Library searches, recent systematic reviews, reference lists of retrieved articles, and expert suggestions.

Study Selection: English language studies were selected to answer the following question: Does screening in asymptomatic persons with a whole body examination by a primary care clinician or by self examination reduce morbidity and mortality from skin cancer? The following study types were selected: randomized controlled trials and case-control studies of screening for skin cancer.

Data Extraction: All studies were reviewed, abstracted, and rated for quality using predefined USPSTF criteria.

Data Synthesis: No new evidence from controlled studies was found that addressed the benefit of screening for skin cancer with a whole body examination.

Limitations: There is a lack of direct evidence linking skin cancer screening to improved health outcomes. There is limited information on the accuracy of screening by physicians or patients using real patients and lesions.

Conclusions: The limited evidence prevents an accurate estimation of the benefits of screening for skin cancer in the general primary care population.