The value of total‐body skin examinations for skin cancer

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, where this research took place, affecting up to 4.9 million people every year. Dermatologists sometimes look at all parts of a patient's skin (a total‐body skin exam) during visits to see if patients have skin cancers. While this a common practice for patients who have had skin cancer before, if you go to a dermatologist with a non‐cancer complaint like acne, some doctors will look at all of your skin while others will only look at the parts that you are concerned about. In this study, the authors look at the amount of money and time it would take to do total‐body skin exams on patients at low‐risk of skin cancer who come to the doctor for non‐skin cancer related reasons. They found that performing these exams on older patients with light skin tone is more likely to identify skin cancers than on younger patients with darker skin. Based on this information, targeting older patients for routine total‐body skin exams is a better use of physician and patient time. The authors examined data from a previously published study that examined skin cancer detection among patients presenting to a dermatologist for a focused complaint to determine the value of skin cancer screening in these patients. The results showed that there was higher likelihood of skin cancer detection among older patients and patients with lighter skin tone. Linked Article:   Hartman et al. Br J Dermatol 2020; 183 :509–515.