Reliability of self-reported information on skin cancer among elderly patients with squamous cell carcinoma

We aimed to evaluate reliability of self-reported information on skin cancer among individuals aged > 65 years with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

A test-retest was performed with patients completing two questionnaires one month apart.

Among 102 recruited patients the response rate was 97.1% (mean age 80.9 years, 74.8% men). The majority of items showed substantial agreement: history of skin cancer screening (k = 0.88), past skin cancer in general (k = 0.92), basal cell carcinoma (k = 0.75), patient delay (k = 0.64) and total delay (k = 0.86). Agreement was high also for ages > 80 years. Recall of past SCCs (k = 0.48) and sunscreen use (k = 0.38) was less accurate.

Our study provided evidence on the reliability of patient reported skin cancer information among elderly individuals, who represent the majority of affected cases.