Clinical Outcomes of Free, Public Skin Cancer Screening Events, Rhode Island, 2015-2019

Abstract

Background: In Rhode Island, malignant melanoma of skin causes about 30 deaths a year. Early detection has been shown to reduce mortality risk.

Methods: Dermatology volunteers and public health professionals convened 27 free skin cancer screenings at public beaches in 2015-2019 to raise skin cancer awareness and screen patients for malignancy. Participants with suspicious lesions were referred for follow-up and later telephoned to ascertain outcomes.

Results: Of 2354 people screened, 597 (25%) were referred. 319 of 597 (53%) were later reached by telephone. 196 of 319 (61%) who had kept appointments by the time of the telephone call reported the following diagnoses: 7 malignant melanomas, 32 keratinocyte carcinomas, and 34 actinic keratoses, yielding 3.0 as number needed to biopsy (NNB), and 18.3 as number needed to screen (NNS).

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the value of convenient skin cancer screening events, suggesting the desirability of additional interventions of this type.

Keywords: NNB; NNS; basal cell carcinoma; melanoma; skin cancer; skin cancer screening; squamous cell carcinoma.