Skin Cancer Blog

Our research article this month is a follow-on from the one we posted recently, about having a melanoma skin check done by “intimate partners”. In this new analysis, June Robinson and colleagues looked at whether embarrassment among dyads (that is, pairs) was a barrier to having a skin check done by a partner, and whether confidence in ability to identify suspicious lesions could be enhanced.

 The bottom line in the research here is simple:

1. Embarrassment was not a major factor for the patients, and their partners in this study, and
2. Confidence in doing the skin check and identifying suspicious lesions increased during the study period, as a result of the training and (no doubt) practice.

Having patients look at their own skin, and having their partners do the same, is clearly feasible and (as shown before) identifies melanomas, and hence saves lives.

David Wilkinson

Click here to download the full paper

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