MALIGNANT SKIN TUMORS SCREENING

Abstract

Screening in medicine represents a major strategy for the early detection of certain diseases and risk factors, thereby facilitating timely intervention and potentially reduce the severity or mortality associated with these conditions. Numerous countries have established screening programs, aiming to provide health screenings and examinations availability for specific groups of the population. The efficacy of these screening initiatives depends on adherence to several key principles, including social significance of a particular disease, the potential treatment, the accessibility of diagnostic and therapeutic services, and the presence of reliable symptoms of a certain disease and diagnostic methods. The primary objective of screening is to diminish morbidity and mortality or to lessen the severity of a disease. Nonetheless, screening necessitates substantial investment and may present false-positive and false-negative results. Cutaneous melanoma, a malignant neoplasm originating from melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) of the skin, has demonstrated a fixed rise in morbidity and mortality rates in recent years. Skin cancer screening has been implemented in various countries being more or less successive. For instance, the SCREEN project conducted in Germany between 2003 and 2004 involved the screening of 360,288 individuals for malignant skin tumors. This initiative led to a notable reduction in melanoma mortality rates five years post-project. However, the introduction of nationwide screening in 2008 did not result in a decrease in melanoma mortality. Conversely, studies conducted at the Livermore Laboratory and in Australia resulted in various findings. The effectiveness of skin cancer screening and its association with melanoma morbidity and mortality continue to be subjects of academic debate. Nevertheless, identification and early treatment of patients with advanced melanoma, as well as targeting of those case that are most likely to progress, are crucial objectives of public healthcare. These efforts aim to reduce the incidence of advanced melanoma cases, thereby contributing to the broader goal of improving patients condition and the overall effectiveness of screening programs.