Regular Screening Cost-Effective Following Melanoma Diagnosis

Regular screening after a stage 1 melanoma diagnosis detected more melanoma at earlier stages and at a lower cost per melanoma compared with screening only once over 10 years, according to a recent poster study presented at the 2019 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting. 

“Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States and the incidence is rising,” the researchers stated.

In the study, the researchers assessed the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of screening routines following a stage 1 melanoma diagnosis. Screening strategies included one-time screening (once only in first 10 years), recommendations from the American Academy of Dermatology (every 6 months for 2 years then every year), and recommendations from the British Academy of Dermatology (every 3 months for 3 years, then every 6 months for 2 years, followed by annually).

They assessed the probability of developing second primary melanoma and the probability of progression to more advanced stages, along with the sensitivity of full body skin exams and cost for each screening strategy compared with the cost of treatment for melanoma.

According to the researchers, “the cost of interval screening at $48,456/quality-adjusted life year [QALY] was well below the accepted willingness-to-pay threshold of $150k/QALY, suggesting that routine dermatologic screening following a diagnosis of stage I melanoma is a cost-effective public health intervention.” 

Compared with no screening, intermittent interval screening after a diagnosis of stage I melanoma provided significant mortality benefit, the researchers concluded. —Melissa Weiss