In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Geller et al found that three patient- and patient/physician–based interventions to improve skin cancer surveillance among childhood cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy resulted in increased rates of physician skin examinations and patient self-examinations. As stated by the investigators, skin cancers constitute 58% of all subsequent neoplasms in survivors treated with radiotherapy, and less than 30% of survivors currently complete recommended skin cancer screening.
In the study, 728 patients from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study were randomly assigned to interventions consisting of patient activation/education alone, patient and physician activation/education, and patient and physician activation/education plus teledermoscopy. Rates of physician skin examinations as well as skin self-examinations increased in all three groups. The study authors concluded, “Although skin cancer screening rates increased more than 1.5-fold in each of the intervention groups, there were no differences between groups. Any of these interventions, if implemented, could improve skin cancer prevention behaviors among childhood cancer survivors.”