EDINBURGH – Is population screening for skin cancer worthwhile?
Yes, Dr. Eckhard Breitbart said in a debate at the 15th World Congress on Cancers of the Skin. "Screening is not a diagnostic procedure," he noted. But the potential benefits of screening, including a significant reduction in medical costs, outweigh the potential harms related to false negative or false positive findings, added Dr. Breitbart, a dermatologist in Hamburg, Germany.
In an interview at the meeting, Dr. Breitbart reviewed the findings from his study of the impact of a population-based skin cancer screening program in Germany, and he discussed what research is needed to support such screening elsewhere.