Nodular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is most often treated with surgical excision. However, interest is increasing in minimally invasive treatments for these low-risk skin cancers. A new study reviewed the effectiveness of surgical excision compared with curettage and imiquimod cream in treating nodular BCC. Continue reading “[2 min read] Surgery vs curettage & imiquimod for nodular BCC” →

If you are a primary care physician performing skin cancer surgery in your practice, there are a few common pitfalls you may encounter. In this short video, experienced skin cancer surgeon Dr Tony Azzi shares the four most common mistakes he sees in this field of medicine, and offers his top tips for avoiding them. Continue reading “[4 min watch] 4 common mistakes to avoid in skin cancer surgery” →

In order to get referrals for skin cancer checks from your colleagues, it’s essential to gain their confidence that you can manage the work. In this short video, Matt Woollard (Chief Operating Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) provides an insight into how to get referrals and recommend skin checks to patients.

Continue reading “[1 min watch] How to get referrals and recommend skin checks to patients” →

In this short video, Dr Tony Dicker offers his top tips for managing common skin cancer surgery complications you might encounter as a GP, primary care or skin cancer doctor. Continue reading “[2 min watch] Tips to manage common skin cancer surgery complications” →

In this month’s skin cancer update video, Professor Giuseppe Argenziano talks about the criteria for sentinel node biopsies in melanoma patients. Using real patient case examples, he gives practical advice for how best to assess these patients to optimise their outcomes while avoiding unnecessary procedures. Continue reading “[5 min watch] Skin Cancer Update with Prof Giuseppe Argenziano [March 2020]” →

In this webinar, Dr Tony Dicker discussed performing skin cancer surgery in the difficult area below the knee with practical hints and tips for best results. Continue reading “[WEBINAR] Hints for skin cancer surgery below the knee” →

Continue reading “[5 min read] First-line treatment decisions for BRAF-mutated melanoma” →

Topical photodynamic therapy is an established treatment option for low‐risk basal cell carcinoma (BCC), but how does its efficacy, cosmesis and tolerability compare with alternative treatments? Continue reading “[5 min read] Photodynamic therapy vs conventional treatments for basal cell carcinoma” →

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?” →

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.