Early detection of melanoma is critical for favorable prognosis, since patients with earlier stage melanomas have a much higher probability of survival than with later stages. The traditional method of early detection has been with serial total body skin exams where the health care provider examines all skin surfaces, including mucosa, for suspicious pigmented lesions. Studies have demonstrated that the diagnostic accuracy of physicians for melanoma depends on the level of dermatological training. More important than being able to make a diagnosis of melanoma on clinical impression is the ability to make an appropriate decision to biopsy the lesion. Primary care physicians (PCPs) are often expected to screen for melanoma and only refer to dermatologists when there is a high clinical suspicion of melanoma. However, if PCPs are not adept at diagnosing melanoma, then opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment could be missed. Conversely, the morphology of benign pigmented lesions can often mimic that of early melanomas, resulting in potentially unnecessary dermatology referrals, biopsies, and patient anxiety. Studies have indicated that there is great variability in the ability of PCPs to make a correct decision to biopsy/refer a pigmented lesion (1.5 times greater than dermatologists) as well as for diagnosing melanoma (over 2.5 times greater than dermatologists). To aid in detection of early melanomas, new technologies are being developed.
One such technology is MelaFind, an investigational device that has been developed to give a recommendation for biopsy (or not) of pigmented skin lesions to rule out melanoma. Our hypothesis is that MelaFind will have equal or better sensitivity than pigmented lesion experts in making an appropriate recommendation for biopsy (i.e., MelaFind will be at least as accurate as dermatologists in recommending biopsy for melanomas).
