The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concluded that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for skin cancer in asymptomatic adults and adolescents. These findings form the basis for the final recommendation statement published in the April 18 issue of JAMA .
Nora B. Henrikson, PhD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Statement Research Institute, Seattle, and colleagues conducted the A systematic review of the benefits and harms of screening for skin cancer. Data were obtained from 20 studies involving 29 articles, involving 6,053,411 asymptomatic individuals aged 15 years or older.
Researchers found that, based on direct evidence of screening effectiveness from three nonrandomized analyses, follow-up. Inconsistent evidence for an association between clinician skin examination and lesion thickness or diagnostic stage was found in six studies. Routine clinician skin examinations were not associated with increased detection of skin cancer or precursor lesions or stage of melanoma detection compared with usual care.
Based on these findings, the USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of visual skin examination for screening for asymptomatic Skin cancer in adolescents and adults (Statement I).
“We need more research to determine whether screening for skin cancer in asymptomatic people is beneficial,” says a working Group members in a statement. “To help prevent skin cancer, people should minimize sun exposure, protect their skin while in the sun, and avoid tanning beds.”
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: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Lack of Evidence for Screening Asymptomatic Skin Cancer Patients (2023, April 18), retrieved May 2, 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news /2023-04-task-evidence-lacking-screening-asymptomatic.html
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