A new survey revealed that a concerningly high number of individuals may be skipping yearly skin exams, according to results released by DermTech, a genomics company focusing on noninvasive precision dermatology. In the new survey, investigators asked 500 participants to answer questions related to their skin cancer screening habits. The investigators discovered that although 48.9% of the respondents reported having new or changing moles, 55% hadn’t visited a dermatologist in the past 2 years or more, and 74.2% hadn’t received a skin exam in the last year. Early detection may be crucial for diagnosing and treating melanoma when it is most responsive to therapy; however, only 23.5% of the respondents answered that they would schedule a skin exam following the survey. DermTech highlighted that the company hopes to raise awareness about melanoma and the importance of screening—as well as funding for research—during its third annual #Stickit2Melanoma campaign for Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May.
May 25, 2023