What method do patients prefer for surgical treatment of facial melanoma, and what causes patients to value the importance of surgery? Continue reading “[4 min read] What surgery do patients prefer for facial melanoma and what influences their choice?” →

Continue reading “[3 min read] Risk of skin cancer in patients with HIV” →

Yes, the robots are coming! This month I share an article published in PLOS One in March this year. There is now a steady stream of research papers showing how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is effective in accurately diagnosing skin cancers. Continue reading “[4 min read] How will artificial intelligence benefit GPs in skin cancer medicine?” →

Does an association exist between the use of sunscreen in childhood and early adulthood and risk of melanoma before age 40 years, and what factors are associated with sunscreen use among Australian children and young adults? Continue reading “[4 min read] Does childhood sunscreen use decrease risk of melanoma before age 40?” →

This week we have an interesting case from Dr Peter Ryan. An 56-year-old male, rapidly growing lesion on his nose.

Please review the clinical and dermoscopy images. What is your differential diagnosis and how would you biopsy?

Continue reading “Case discussion: How would you treat this patient? [12 November]” →

We all continue to be plagued by the problem of dysplastic naevi, and especially what to do if we biopsy these lesions and the pathology report comes back with “margins involved”. What should we do? Continue reading “[3 min read] The problem of dysplastic naevi” →

This week we have an interesting case from Dr Kiratikorn Punyatrong. A 24-year-old female presented for a full skin check. She has no relevant past history but has multiple naevi on her back and upper body. One naevus on her back is different from the others.

How would you describe this lesion, what is the differential diagnosis, and how would you biopsy this?

Continue reading “Case discussion: How would you treat this patient? [15 October]” →

25 – 28 July 2018 | Brisbane 

The 10^th Skin Cancer Summit & Masterclasses saw international thought leaders in skin cancer medicine converge in Brisbane to collaborate with GPs from across Australia. The 2018 program once again covered a broad range of topics relevant to doctors working in primary care skin cancer medicine. The Masterclasses focused on core day-to-day material, as a way to reinforce and extend knowledge. The two-day Summit opened up new areas of study, enquiry and interest.

Dermoscopy Masterclass: 25 July 2018

The first Masterclass focused on diagnosis through dermoscopy and was run by Prof Ash Marghoob (USA) and Dr Aimilios Lallas (Greece).

Dr Lallas used the concept of false positive and false negative diagnoses to reinforce our diagnostic accuracy. Clearly, as morphology overlaps the distinction between what is a cancer, and what is not, can provide confusion.

This broad concept was beautifully extended by Prof Marghoob through his presentation on difficult to diagnose melanomas. As we all know, the easy ones are easy. It is the hard-to-diagnose that we risk missing!

The session then moved into important body sites – the face and acral areas, which are important because the morphology of lesions on these sites is different from morphology on other sites. If we don’t understand this and know how the appearances differ, then we can’t accurately recognise cancers.

Our presenters then extended these important concepts to difficult to diagnose non-melanoma skin cancers, as it is not just melanomas that can be tricky. And, as always, we finished with a series of interactive cases.

Surgery Masterclass: 26 July 2018

The second Masterclass covered surgery of the ear. The ear, of course, is a common site for skin cancer because it is so exposed to solar damage. Ear surgery is important because cosmetic results are very visible to the patient and others. So, it is essential to get the surgery right, cure the cancer, and repair the defect as sympathetically as possible.

Dr Con Pappas and Dr Tony Azzi provided a comprehensive overview of how to prepare for and conduct surgery of the ear, across almost all imaginable lesions.

Summit: 27-28 July 2018

The Summit program is deliberately designed to be a mix of very practical, everyday material that supports our daily practice.

This year, key examples of these sessions were those on ‘effectiveness of dermoscopy’, ‘why we miss melanoma’, and ‘radiation oncology’. We also ran sessions that we hope will keep you and your patients safe, including ‘what interests the watchdog’ and ‘monitoring tips and traps’.

We deliberately moved into the future and sought to explore and speculate on what might be. It is clear that artificial intelligence is already with us, and yet most of us don’t really see what is happening and what might be coming. As educated and interested professionals, it is worth being aware of these trends.

We also like to keep you across what is happening outside clinical practice, in areas that are relevant to running your business. So, our sessions on how to run a successful business, and how others organise their own practices, are always very popular.

Skin Cancer Institute Gala Dinner

The Skin Cancer Summit closed with a Gala Dinner at the Queensland Cricketers’ Club. Hosted by the Skin Cancer Institute, the inaugural ‘White Out Skin Cancer’ Gala Dinner donated all proceeds to QIMR Berghofer. The delegates’ generosity and support will make a difference to many lives as we take a step closer to our vision of a world where nobody dies from skin cancer.

11^th Skin Cancer Summit and Masterclasses 2019

Plans are well underway for the 11th Skin Cancer Summit & Masterclasses in 2019! Save the date for 21-24 August 2019 and learn more here.

The consumption of red meat and processed meat has been associated with an increased risk for several cancers, but the association with cutaneous melanoma risk has been inconclusive. A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology investigated the association between red and processed meat intake and melanoma risk. Continue reading “Does eating red and processed meat increase melanoma risk?” →

This week we have an engaging case from Dr Slavko Doslo. A woman presented for routine skin check. No specific history given.

What do you make of the clinical and dermoscopic images and what would you do next? Continue reading “Case discussion: How would you treat this patient? [17 September]” →