Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Practice Guideline
. 2016 Jul 26;316(4):429-35.
doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.8465.

Screening for Skin Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

US Preventive Services Task Force; Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo  1 , David C Grossman  2 , Susan J Curry  3 , Karina W Davidson  4 , Mark Ebell  5 , John W Epling Jr  6 , Francisco A R García  7 , Matthew W Gillman  8 , Alex R Kemper  9 , Alex H Krist  10 , Ann E Kurth  11 , C Seth Landefeld  12 , Carol M Mangione  13 , William R Phillips  14 , Maureen G Phipps  15 , Michael P Pignone  16 , Albert L Siu  17
Affiliations
Free article
Practice Guideline

Screening for Skin Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

US Preventive Services Task Force et al. JAMA. .
Free article

Abstract

Importance: Basal and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common types of cancer in the United States and represent the vast majority of all cases of skin cancer; however, they rarely result in death or substantial morbidity, whereas melanoma skin cancer has notably higher mortality rates. In 2016, an estimated 76,400 US men and women will develop melanoma and 10,100 will die from the disease.

Objective: To update the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for skin cancer.

Evidence review: The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the effectiveness of screening for skin cancer with a clinical visual skin examination in reducing skin cancer morbidity and mortality and death from any cause; its potential harms, including any harms resulting from associated diagnostic follow-up; its test characteristics when performed by a primary care clinician vs a dermatologist; and whether its use leads to earlier detection of skin cancer compared with usual care.

Findings: Evidence to assess the net benefit of screening for skin cancer with a clinical visual skin examination is limited. Direct evidence on the effectiveness of screening in reducing melanoma morbidity and mortality is limited to a single fair-quality ecologic study with important methodological limitations. Information on harms is similarly sparse. The potential for harm clearly exists, including a high rate of unnecessary biopsies, possibly resulting in cosmetic or, more rarely, functional adverse effects, and the risk of overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Conclusions and recommendation: The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of visual skin examination by a clinician to screen for skin cancer in adults (I statement).

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Summary for patients in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms