Incidence of melanoma and keratinocytic carcinomas in patients evaluated by store-and-forward teledermatology vs. dermatology clinic.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether incidence of detected skin cancer in patients evaluated by store-and-forward teledermatology (SAF) vs. face-to-face consultation (F2F) significantly differs, and whether such differences are because of variations in patient demographics, diagnostic accuracy, or both.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study compares patient skin cancer risk profile, pre-post biopsy diagnostic accuracy, and detection rates of any skin cancer, melanoma, and keratinocytic carcinoma between all SAF teledermatology patients and a subset of randomly selected F2F consultations at VA-Boston Healthcare System in 2014.

RESULTS: Patients in the teledermatology (n = 434) and F2F visit cohorts (n = 587) had similar baseline demographics except a higher proportion of F2F patients had prior history of skin cancer, 22% (131/587) vs. 10% (45/434), P < 0.001, and received biopsies, 27.2% (160/587) vs. 11.5% (50/434), P < 0.001. When adjusted for age, immunosuppression, and personal and family history of skin cancer, there were no significant differences between the two cohorts in detection rates for any skin cancer (9.5% vs. 5.8%, P = 0.3), melanoma (0.6% vs. 0%, P = N/A), or keratinocytic carcinoma (8.5% vs. 5.5%, P = 0.7). The two cohorts also had similar pre-post biopsy perfect diagnostic concordance, time from initial consult request to biopsy (45.5 d vs. 47.3 d, P = 0.8), and time from biopsy to definitive treatment (67.5 d vs. 65.4 d, P = 0.8).

CONCLUSION: F2F patients were more likely to have prior history of skin cancer and receive biopsies. When adjusted for presence of skin cancer risk factors, incidence of detected melanoma, keratinocytic carcinoma, and any skin cancer was similar between SAF teledermatology and F2F patients.