[Factors influencing early detection of malignant melanoma].

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Melanoma is a highly aggressive tumour with often unpredictable outcome. Our aim with this study was to determine factors influencing early detection of melanoma.

METHOD: We analyzed 139 questionnaires completed by patients diagnosed with melanoma.

RESULTS: We found that our patients are health-conscious regarding cardiovascular diseases and attend cancer screenings on recall. However, their knowledge about melanoma is insufficient. Most of them perform skin self-examination, but they do not know what to check. Melanoma is detected mostly by the patients themselves, but it takes more than one year to consult a doctor. Our study confirmed that patients' attitude toward melanoma is an important factor influencing early detection. We found that physical examination and communication about skin cancer prevention is not part of the routine medical care.

CONCLUSIONS: It is important to improve knowledge about melanoma among the general population and health care providers and to emphasize that early detection can save lives. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(51), 2028-2033.