The importance of early suspicion of melanoma in primary and secondary health care

Abstract

The prospective study, which lasted from February 2011 to March 2014, included respondents who were referred to computerized dermoscopy due to melanocytic skin tumours. The respondents were divided into 2 groups. The first one, group A, (38 respondents) consisted of respondents who had personally expressed concern about the existing pigment changes on the skin and had desire for examination. The second one, group B, (40 respondents) consisted of respondents that did not come for examination due to changes on the skin, but for other reasons, but suspicious skin lesions were indirectly detected. The aim of this study was to analyse the importance of early suspicion of melanocytic malignant skin tumours by specialists of primary and secondary health care Parameters for comparing the results were respondents' subjective attitude to pigmented skin changes, as well as dermoscopy and / or PH finding. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of respondents' attitudes to pigmented skin lesions, i.e. fear of skin changes, the belief that moles should not be touched (operated on), or that pigment changes that they have since birth are not dangerous. Early suspicion of melanoma in Group B resulted in detection of 4 nodular melanoma and 3 superficial spreading melanoma, while in group A there were no malignant skin lesions, which is a statistically highly significant difference. It was confirmed that early suspected melanoma and referring patients to dermoscopic examination had advantages as working principle in any clinic or any specialty.