Skin Cancer Blog

This month, we share the latest publication from the Melanoma Guidelines Working Party, published in the latest Medical Journal of Australia. I will be presenting some thoughts and perspectives in coming months on each major recommendation.

Let’s start with an easy and obvious one (or is it?)!

Dermoscopy: Clinicians who perform skin examinations for the purpose of detecting skin cancer should be trained in and use dermoscopy.

Why? Dermoscopy increases diagnostic accuracy by 15 times and reduces the number of unnecessary biopsies. I suggest you read the rationale behind the recommendation (page 2 of 7) and reflect on this in the context of your own practice (and that of your colleagues). Are you, and they, trained, and are you up to date?

You can read the paper here.

Next month we will look at other recommendations.

Professor David Wilkinson

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Read more from Professor David Wilkinson on recent research:

• How will artificial intelligence benefit GPs in skin cancer medicine?
• The problem of dysplastic naevi
• Managing Spitz lesions in children
• Managing patient anxiety while undergoing skin cancer excision
• Managing subungual melanoma in situ in general practice

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Learn more about skin cancer medicine in primary care at the next Skin Cancer Certificate Courses: