A nationwide population-based skin cancer screening in Germany: proceedings of the first meeting of the International Task Force on Skin Cancer Screening and Prevention (September 24 and 25, 2009).
Skin cancer incidence is increasing worldwide in white populations and mortality rates have not declined throughout most of the world. An extraordinarily high proportion of at-risk individuals have yet to be screened for melanoma but guidelines from esteemed bodies do not currently endorse population-based screening. Evidence for the effectiveness of skin cancer screening is imperative. To this end, scientists in Germany have launched a nationwide skin cancer screening campaign. Herein, we review pilot screening data from Schleswig-Holstein, discuss the launch of the major new national initiative, review issues related to evaluation of that program, and propose seven recommendations from the International Task Force on Skin Cancer Screening and Prevention that was held in Hamburg, Germany, on September 24 and 25, 2009.
Geller
Alan C
AC
Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. ageller@hsph.harvard.edu
Greinert
Rüdiger
R
Sinclair
Craig
C
Weinstock
Martin A
MA
Aitken
Joanne
J
Boniol
Mathieu
M
Capellaro
Marcus
M
Doré
Jean-Francois
JF
Elwood
Mark
M
Fletcher
Suzanne W
SW
Gallagher
Richard
R
Gandini
Sara
S
Halpern
Allan C
AC
Katalinic
Alexander
A
Lucas
Robin
R
Marghoob
Ashfag A
AA
Nolte
Sandra
S
Schüz
Joachim
J
Tucker
Margaret A
MA
Volkmer
Beate
B
Breitbart
Eckhard
E
D026683:Advisory Committees; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*