Evaluating Articles about Screening Tests
For use with Observational Studies
Overall Relevance:
1. What is the outcome of interest in this study? Describe how it would be important to patients.
The outcome of interest in this study was to identify a population at a higher risk for malignant melanoma, and develop a clinical screening tool that could earlier detect malignant melanoma in this high-risk population. Another outcome of interest was to determine the effectiveness of total skin examination in detecting malignant melanoma in these high-risk groups, with the hope of detecting the melanoma earlier so that patients can be treated more effectively. This would be important to patients because the earlier detection of malignant melanoma from screening high-risk populations would allow for earlier treatment, thus hopefully decreasing the mortality rates in patients with malignant melanoma.
2. What is the disease being screened for and is it common in your practice?
The disease being screened for is malignant melanoma. The incidence of malignant melanoma is rising and it is an invasive and lethal cancer if it is not detected early. Although it is not that common in practice it is essential to identify the disease presence early in order to treat and decrease mortality rates.
3. What is the screening test? Discuss its feasibility in primary care.
The screening test is a total body skin examination. The total body skin examination is feasible
Distinguishing melanoma may seem hard to do, but is not so once a person is informed on what they should be looking for. They may appear similar to moles, and may be blue or black in color. Though they will usually lack the symmetry and border regularity of a common mole, and may have variance in their coloring. Melanomas can either appear suddenly, or develop slowly near a preexisting mole. In rare cases, melanomas may form on top of previously formed moles or birthmarks, but will also come with the effects of pain, itching, or bleeding. These moles may begin to exhibit new and/or strange characteristics such as
Unlike other cancers which we can develop, melanoma can often be detected on the skin which allows doctors to treat it at its early stages resulting in less complications and lower death rates to patients, again if left undetected at its early stages this can easily spread to distant areas and distant organs. Once melanoma has spread to other areas of the body which is classified as stage IV it is diagnosed as
Although there are several types of skin cancer, the most aggressive form is melanoma. This cancer of the skin involves mass replication of the pigment producing melanocyte cells, which are located in the epidermis, below the basal layer. There are several factors involved with the onset of melanoma including, exposure to ultraviolet rays, genetic predisposition, numerous nevi (moles), immunosuppression, and environmental exposure to carcinogens.
This article is looking to determine if it is effective practice for primary care providers to perform routine screening for skin cancer in their patients. Effectiveness of screening is described as early detection of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer in order to reduce mortality and morbidity rates.
The DecisionDx Melanoma testing performed on 11/23/2015 was not medically necessary for the treatment of this member’s
Those who have light skin, hair, and/or eye colors are at an increased risk for developing melanoma over their opposite counterparts. Risks escalate for those who are sensitive to the sun and develop sunburn easily, have a history of intense sunburns, or never tan. A family history of melanoma is another risk factor associated with developing the disease. Persons with a personal history of melanoma are at a greater risk of recurrence. Significant numbers of freckling and moles in an individual is an additional risk factor in developing melanoma. Controllable risk factors include the use of ultraviolet radiation tanning beds, and the time one spends in the sun under natural ultraviolet radiation (Calianno, 2011). Sunburns in later life and cumulative lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation are important factors in the development of melanoma, but blistering sunburns in early childhood markedly increase a person’s risk
Acral Lentiginous Melanoma or ALM is a rare subtype of melanoma that occurs more often in people of color. It accounts for 2 to 3 percent of the all of the world’s cases of melanoma (Bradford). Dr. R. J. Reed in 1976 was the first to describe it as the appearance of dark lesions on the hands and feet. Radial or lentiginous was the main phase of its growth that lasts several years then it changes into a vertical or dermal invasive stage (Bradford). Several universities have released results on tests on ALM but since it is rare it was difficult for the research groups to get solid information because of small sample sizes. Nonetheless, studies by scientists such as Dr. R. J. Reed we able to determine that the survival rate for three years with the melanoma was on average at 11% (Bradford).
The article “Melanoma: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments” written by Markus MacGill and reviewed by Dr. Helen Webberley is exactly what it states, an article on the integumentary disease melanoma. This article tells everything about melanoma, stating that it is a very deadly type of skin cancer. It is fortunate that it is the least common, however it is still responsible for the majority of skin cancer related deaths each year. Melanoma comes from pigment-producing cells that have mutated into a cancerous cell. They spread quickly, almost too quickly to catch. Skin cancer is first noticed by the look of the skin, then can be confirmed or denied with testing. Melanoma may not produce symptoms. Staying out of the sun for extended amounts of time is best when avoiding skin problems, especially skin cancer. Melanoma is seen mostly in people over the age of forty, and favors women. It can develop anywhere on the skin but does favor the trunk of men and the legs of women. Melanoma will form changes in existing moles on the skin. People should be checking for noticeable differences in skin constantly, especially those who have a known risk. Some early indicators of melanoma could be pale skin, light eyes, numerous moles, multiple freckles, sun exposure, light hair, age, and a few more. Sadly, most these are unavoidable.
"The rates of skin cancer have expanded consistently since the 1920s uncovers the risk of the American fixation on getting a "solid" tan. Skin tumor is an infection where growth (harmful) cells are found on the external layer of the skin (epidermis). The three sorts of cells found in the epidermis are squamous cells, basal cells, and melanocytes. These cells in time develop to be carcinogenic. Consequently, the three sorts of skin tumors are squamous cell, basal cell, and melanoma. Melanoma is the deadliest and dangerous kind of growth. The quantity of individuals with melanoma has ascended in Scotland from 3.5 in 1979 to 10.6 for each 100,000 in 1998 for men and 7.0 to 13.1 for ladies. (Mill operator 945) Squamous cell and Basal cell skin
Melanoma is a rare and serious. It begins in the skin and can spread to other organs in the body.
The melanoma community, consists of those experiencing melanoma (past, or present), and their families and friends, and are specifically targeted for advocacy, and support services (Including assistance with finances as needed for treatments). The general public is MRF’s target for awareness and prevention campaigns. This is a diverse audience,
Melanoma, the last major type of skin cancer, is the most deadly. As a highly metastatic form of cancer, melanoma can quickly spread to different parts of the body if undetected and allowed to grow. These type of tumors grow in the melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis and can grow on both sun-exposed and unexposed areas of the skin. It is crucial to find and diagnose melanoma early - if detected it can be treated and cured, but if gone undetected, it is incredibly
The skin cancer is long term disease.it is most widely recognized of all diseases. The melanoma indicates under 2% of growing skin cases however there is huge greater part of skin cancer passings.the recent research the Cancer Society’s identified melanoma in the newzealands for 2015:
Thesis: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States but is highly curable if detected early and treated properly.
The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine defines malignant melanoma as “a type of cancer arising from the melanocyte cells of the skin.” The number of people diagnosed with skin cancer keeps rising every year. According to the Journal of School Health skin cancer is increasing by approximately 3.5% per year. Skin cancer has become the most common cancer, according to the World of Health. Skin health is often overlooked and more concentrated on society’s ideals of perfect tan skin rather than the health and protection of our skin.