Community perceptions of suspicious pigmented skin lesions: are they accurate when compared to general practitioners?

P D Baade; K P Balanda; W R Stanton; John B Lowe; Chris B Del Mar

doi:10.1016/j.cdp.2004.06.007

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Community perceptions of suspicious pigmented skin lesions: are they accurate when compared to general practitioners?

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Community perceptions of suspicious pigmented skin lesions: are they accurate when compared to general practitioners?

P D Baade, K P Balanda, W R Stanton, John B Lowe and Chris B Del Mar

Cancer Detection and Prevention, Vol.29(3), pp.267-275

2005

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdp.2004.06.007

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Abstract

Public Health and Health Services

skin self-examination

melanoma

early detection

Community responses (n = 925, response rate = 71%) of a series of eight photographs of pigmented skin lesions were compared against those of general practitioners (n = 114, response rate = 77%), considered to be the most relevant gold standard. The eight photographs included three melanomas, two potentially malignant lesions and three benign pigmented lesions. Over the pool of lesions examined, the average probability that community members thought a lesion was likely to be skin cancer (0.68 [99% CI = 0.66-0.69]) was higher (p less than 0.0001) than that of the comparison general practitioners 0.58 [99% CI = 0.55-0.62]. This reflects a general (but not consistent) inflated propensity to over-diagnose among community members. The average probability that respondents indicated they would seek medical advice for a lesion was 0.71 [99% CI = 0.70-0.73]. As expected, this was strongly associated with their perceptions of the skin lesion. These results suggest that the community can play a valuable role in assessing the need for medical evaluation of pigmented skin lesions.

Details

Title: Community perceptions of suspicious pigmented skin lesions: are they accurate when compared to general practitioners?
Authors: P D Baade (Author) - University of Queensland
K P Balanda (Author) - University of Queensland
W R Stanton (Author) - University of Queensland
John B Lowe (Author) - University of Queensland
Chris B Del Mar (Author) - Bond University
Publication details: Cancer Detection and Prevention, Vol.29(3), pp.267-275
Publisher: Elsevier Inc.
Date published: 2005
DOI: 10.1016/j.cdp.2004.06.007
ISSN: 0361-090X
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450008402621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Oncology

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