Objective: To investigate patterns of detection and variables associated with early diagnosis of melanoma in a population at intermediate melanoma risk. Design: Survey. Setting: Hospital and university centers belonging to the Italian Multidisciplinary Group on Melanoma. Patients: Eight hundred sixteen patients who were consecutively diagnosed as having melanoma and treated at 11 participating centers. Main Outcome Measure: Relationship between patterns of detection and patient's and physician's delay with melanoma thickness, assessed by multivariate analysis. Results: A statistically significant association with early diagnosis was found for female sex (odds ratio [OR] for a lesion > 1 mm in thickness, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.97), higher educational level (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.24-0.79), residence in northern and central Italy (compared with southern Italy) (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.300.65 and OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15-0.37, respectively), and the habit of performing a skin self-examination (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93). When adjusted for all the previously mentioned variables, only melanoma detection made by a dermatologist, maybe incidentally, was associated with a statistically significant additional effect on early diagnosis (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.28-0.73). No significant effect of anatomical site (trunk compared with other sites: OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.59-1.17), presence of atypical nevi (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.52-1.17), and patient's delay (>3 months compared with ≤3 months: OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.78-1.60) was found. Conclusion: Future melanoma early diagnosis strategies should adequately stress the role of skin self-examination among the adult population, and should recommend that dermatologists perform a total skin examination to identify suspect lesions (such an examination should also be performed during consultations for other reasons).

Dermatologist detection and skin self-examination are associated with thinner melanomas results from a survey of the italian multidisciplinary group on melanoma / Carli, P.; De Giorgi, V.; Palli, D.; Maurichi, A.; Mulas, P.; Orlandi, C.; Imberti, G. L.; Stanganelli, I.; Soma, P.; Dioguardi, D.; Catricala, C.; Betti, R.; Cecchi, R.; Bottoni, U.; Bonci, A.; Scalvenzi, M.; Giannotti, B.. - In: ARCHIVES OF DERMATOLOGY. - ISSN 0003-987X. - 139:5(2003), pp. 607-612. [10.1001/archderm.139.5.607]

Dermatologist detection and skin self-examination are associated with thinner melanomas results from a survey of the italian multidisciplinary group on melanoma

Stanganelli I.;
2003-01-01

Abstract

Objective: To investigate patterns of detection and variables associated with early diagnosis of melanoma in a population at intermediate melanoma risk. Design: Survey. Setting: Hospital and university centers belonging to the Italian Multidisciplinary Group on Melanoma. Patients: Eight hundred sixteen patients who were consecutively diagnosed as having melanoma and treated at 11 participating centers. Main Outcome Measure: Relationship between patterns of detection and patient's and physician's delay with melanoma thickness, assessed by multivariate analysis. Results: A statistically significant association with early diagnosis was found for female sex (odds ratio [OR] for a lesion > 1 mm in thickness, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.97), higher educational level (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.24-0.79), residence in northern and central Italy (compared with southern Italy) (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.300.65 and OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15-0.37, respectively), and the habit of performing a skin self-examination (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93). When adjusted for all the previously mentioned variables, only melanoma detection made by a dermatologist, maybe incidentally, was associated with a statistically significant additional effect on early diagnosis (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.28-0.73). No significant effect of anatomical site (trunk compared with other sites: OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.59-1.17), presence of atypical nevi (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.52-1.17), and patient's delay (>3 months compared with ≤3 months: OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.78-1.60) was found. Conclusion: Future melanoma early diagnosis strategies should adequately stress the role of skin self-examination among the adult population, and should recommend that dermatologists perform a total skin examination to identify suspect lesions (such an examination should also be performed during consultations for other reasons).
2003
Dermatologist detection and skin self-examination are associated with thinner melanomas results from a survey of the italian multidisciplinary group on melanoma / Carli, P.; De Giorgi, V.; Palli, D.; Maurichi, A.; Mulas, P.; Orlandi, C.; Imberti, G. L.; Stanganelli, I.; Soma, P.; Dioguardi, D.; Catricala, C.; Betti, R.; Cecchi, R.; Bottoni, U.; Bonci, A.; Scalvenzi, M.; Giannotti, B.. - In: ARCHIVES OF DERMATOLOGY. - ISSN 0003-987X. - 139:5(2003), pp. 607-612. [10.1001/archderm.139.5.607]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2872664
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