TY - JOUR
T1 - Dermatologist detection and skin self-examination are associated with thinner melanomas results from a survey of the italian multidisciplinary group on melanoma
AU - Carli, Paolo
AU - De Giorgi, Vincenzo
AU - Palli, Domenico
AU - Maurichi, Andrea
AU - Mulas, Patrizio
AU - Orlandi, Catiuscia
AU - Imberti, Gian Lorenzo
AU - Stanganelli, Ignazio
AU - Soma, Pierfranco
AU - Dioguardi, Domenico
AU - Catricala, Caterina
AU - Betti, Roberto
AU - Cecchi, Roberto
AU - Bottoni, Ugo
AU - Bonci, Angela
AU - Scalvenzi, Massimiliano
AU - Giannotti, Benvenuto
PY - 2003/5/1
Y1 - 2003/5/1
N2 - 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).
AB - 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).
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U2 - 10.1001/archderm.139.5.607
DO - 10.1001/archderm.139.5.607
M3 - Article
C2 - 12756097
AN - SCOPUS:0037954289
VL - 139
SP - 607
EP - 612
JO - Archives of Dermatology
JF - Archives of Dermatology
SN - 0003-987X
IS - 5
ER -