Catching Cancer Early: The Importance of Dermato-Oncology Screening

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Skin cancers, either melanocytic (malignant melanoma) or nonmelanocytic (squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma), unlike most types of cancers which are not accompanied by visible signs or symptoms in early stages, could be easily identified through screening. Patients at high risk would benefit the most from skin cancer screening programs. There is no consensus on the long-term monitoring of patients with skin cancers. Based on the clinical experience of the physician and the literature data, the advantages and disadvantages of different monitoring intervals must be assessed to provide the patient and the health system with an efficient screening. ABSTRACT: The European Society for Medical Oncology experts have identified the main components of the long-term management of oncological patients. These include early diagnosis through population screening and periodic control of already diagnosed patients to identify relapses, recurrences, and other associated neoplasms. There are no generally accepted international guidelines for the long-term monitoring of patients with skin neoplasms (nonmelanoma skin cancer, malignant melanoma, precancerous—high-risk skin lesions). Still, depending on the experience of the attending physician and based on the data from the literature, one can establish monitoring intervals to supervise these high-risk population groups, educate the patient and monitor the general population.