SAN FRANCISCO — The prevalence of skin cancer screening among U.S. adults inched higher during the first half of this decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2000, one in seven adults said they had ever undergone a head-to-toe skin exam by a dermatologist or other physician. By 2005, this figure rose to one in six, Naheed A. Lakhani reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Skin cancer screening appropriately was more common among groups at greater risk, including whites, individuals over age 50 years, and those with a personal or family history of skin cancer, noted Ms. Lakhani of the Coordinating Office for Global Health at the CDC.
She presented an analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey conducted in 2000 and 2005. Each survey embraced a nationally representative sample composed of roughly 30,000 adults.
In 2000, 15% of U.S. adults reported ever having had a total body skin screening exam given by a physician. By 2005, this figure had reached 17%. The prevalence of skin cancer screening was 16% among men and significantly higher at 18% in women.
Skin cancer screening prevalence was highest, at 69%, among individuals with a personal history of any skin cancer. People with a family history of melanoma were over 2.4-fold more likely to have ever had a physician-administered total body skin exam, compared with individuals without such a history. Those with a family history of nonmelanoma skin cancer were 1.76-fold more likely to have undergone a screening exam.