Lack of selective attendance of participants at skin cancer/melanoma screening clinics.
BACKGROUND
Whether persons who come for skin cancer/melanoma screening are those at highest risk for the disease remains a debatable issue.


OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to evaluate the appropriateness of self-selection of persons attending screening clinics.


METHODS
We studied the frequency of malignant and/or premalignant clinical diagnoses according to certain demographic characteristics as a measure of selective attendance among 2463 persons screened in the regions of Arnhem and Eindhoven in 1990.


RESULTS
The referral rates for tentative malignant and/or premalignant diagnoses were more or less similar in men (11.8%) and women (9.6%); in persons with symptoms (11.6%) and those who were symptom free (9.3%); in attendants from the towns in which the screenings were held (11.4%) and those coming from distant communities (9.0%); and in persons who attended for specific skin lesions (10.7%) and those who opted for general skin examination (8.8%). The referral rate was 9.2% in persons younger than 70 years of age against 18.5% in those 70 years of age or older (p < 0.001). Most presumptive melanoma diagnoses (15 of 22) were recorded in persons 50 years of age or older.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that participants of free skin cancer/melanoma screening clinics, on average, are unable to estimate their own risk profile properly.
Rampen
F H
FH
Department of Dermatology, Sint Anna Hospital, Oss, The Netherlands.
Berretty
P J
PJ
Van Huystee
B E
BE
Kiemeney
L A
LA
Nijs
C H
CH
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*