Melanoma care rapidly changing
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WAILEA, Hawaii — The world of melanoma has changed a lot in recent years and more change is yet to come, according to a speaker at Hawaiian Eye 2024.
“It’s a fairly common thing,” Roger A. Dailey, MD, FACS, said. “There were 97,610 new cases this past year in the United States, and those rates have more than doubled since 1988.”
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Dailey said this increase is likely due to increased awareness and diagnosis of melanoma. He explained that 7,990 estimated deaths from melanoma occurred in 2023, down from more than 9,300 in 2018 and more than 8,600 in 2013. This decrease was also likely influenced by increased awareness, Dailey said.
Increased awareness of melanoma has also led to policy changes in the U.S. aimed at prevention. Hailey said more than 20 states have banned indoor tanning by individuals aged younger than 18 years.
Diagnosis in melanoma is also changing, Hailey said. Early detection is key, so physicians can help their patients by showing them how to identify potential melanoma during skin cancer self-examinations. The use of noninvasive tools as well as apps and innovative screening techniques have also become more common.
Hailey said this includes the introduction of smartphone-based dermoscopy, which is designed to improve access to care.
“The idea is to get patients and/or clinics to identify these lesions earlier,” Hailey said.
In the realm of treatment, Hailey said wide local excision is becoming less common, in favor of staged excision and Mohs micrographic surgery. Since 2015, there has been a wave of targeted therapy and immunotherapy for patients with melanoma
“Everything is changing in melanoma,” Hailey said. “The diagnosis is getting better, the treatment is getting much better, so there is hope on the horizon.”
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Dailey RA. Update on melanoma diagnosis and management. Presented at: Hawaiian Eye 2024; Jan. 13-19, 2024; Wailea, Hawaii.
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