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Time required for a complete skin examination with and without dermoscopy: a prospective, randomized multicenter
Iris Zalaudek1, Harald Kittler, Ashfaq A Marghoob
1Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, 8036 Graz, Austria. iris.zalaudek@meduni-graz.at
Archives of Dermatology
|April 23, 2008
Summary
Performing a complete skin examination (CSE) with dermoscopy takes longer than without it, but both methods are efficient for opportunistic skin cancer screening. This brief additional time can help prevent serious illness and death from skin cancer.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Oncology
- Public Health
Background:
- Early detection of skin cancer through opportunistic screening is crucial for reducing morbidity and mortality.
- Complete skin examination (CSE) is a key method for skin cancer screening.
- Dermoscopy can enhance the diagnostic accuracy of skin lesion evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the time required for a complete skin examination (CSE) with and without the use of dermoscopy.
- To assess the impact of dermoscopy on the duration of opportunistic skin cancer screening.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, prospective multicenter study involving 1328 patients across eight referral pigmented lesion clinics.
- Patients were randomly assigned to undergo CSE either with or without dermoscopy.
- The total number of skin lesions and the duration of the CSE were recorded for each patient.
Main Results:
- The median time for CSE without dermoscopy was 70 seconds, while with dermoscopy it was 142 seconds (a significant difference of 72 seconds, P < .001).
- Dermoscopy use increased CSE duration proportionally to the total number of lesions.
- CSE duration without dermoscopy remained consistent regardless of lesion count.
Conclusions:
- A CSE aided by dermoscopy takes significantly longer than one without it.
- However, a thorough CSE, with or without dermoscopy, is completed in under 3 minutes.
- This time investment is reasonable for potentially preventing skin cancer-related morbidity and mortality.
