title: Interval cancers after skin cancer screening: incidence, tumour characteristics and risk factors for cutaneous melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The rate of interval cancers is an established indicator for the performance of a cancer-screening programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the incidence, tumour characteristics and risk factors of melanoma interval cancers that occurred in participants of the SCREEN project, which was carried out 2003/2004 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Data from 350 306 SCREEN participants, who had been screened negative for melanoma, were linked to data of the state cancer registry. Melanoma interval cancers were defined as melanomas diagnosed within 4-24 months after SCREEN examination. Results were compared with melanomas of the pre-SCREEN era (1999-2002), extracted from the cancer registry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall relative incidence of melanoma interval cancers in terms of observed/expected ratio was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.82-1.05; in situ: 1.61 (1.32-1.95), invasive: 0.71 (0.60-0.84)). Compared with melanomas of the pre-SCREEN era, the interval melanomas were thinner and had a slightly greater proportion of lentigo maligna melanomas whereas nodular melanomas were less frequent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate a moderate performance of the SCREEN intervention with an excess of in situ melanomas. In part, the findings might be due to specifics of the SCREEN project, in particular a short-term follow-up of patients at high risk for melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck 23562, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hübner
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck 23562, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Waldmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.affiliation: Center for Dermatoepidemiology, VA Medical Center-111D, 830 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence, RI 02908, USA.|Department of Dermatology, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA.|Departments of Dermatology and Epidemiology, Brown University, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Weinstock
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck 23562, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eisemann
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck 23562, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noftz
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck 23562, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertram
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany.|Population Health Strategic Research Centre, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Melbourne, VIC 3125, Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nolte
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Dermatology Center, Elbe Clinics Stade-Buxtehude, Am Krankenhaus 1, Buxtehude 21614, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Volkmer
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Dermatology Center, Elbe Clinics Stade-Buxtehude, Am Krankenhaus 1, Buxtehude 21614, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Greinert
authors.affiliation: Association of Dermatological Prevention e.V., Cremon 11, Hamburg 20457, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Breitbart
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck 23562, Germany.|Cancer Registry of Schleswig-Holstein, Ratzeburger Allee 160, Lübeck 23562, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katalinic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult