Many patients diagnosed with skin cancer do not know whether they have melanoma or nonmelanoma skin cancer and, as a result, may have a poor sense of the measures they need to take to reduce the risk of future skin cancers, a
The study also showed that socioeconomic factors such as a lower level of education and lack of health insurance may impact individuals’ knowledge of their type of skin cancer. The findings are reported in the October issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
For the study, Lack of Knowledge of Type of Skin Cancer Diagnosis, Elliot J. Coups, PhD, reviewed data on 45,174 adults who took part in the 2007 and 2008 US National Health Interview Surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Participants indicated whether they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had cancer or a malignancy of any kind. Of that number, 1172 individuals who reported a diagnosis of melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancer, or a skin cancer for which they did not know the type were identified and included in the current study.
Of the 1172 participants 19% indicated that they did not know their type of skin cancer; 21% reported having had melanoma; and 64% said they had had nonmelanoma skin cancer. (Some participants reported multiple types of skin cancer diagnosis.)
Lack of knowledge of the type of skin cancer diagnosis was more common among individuals with a lower level of education (29% among those with some or less than a high school education) or family income (26% among those earning less than $35,000 annually), those reporting their health as poor or fair (26%), and individuals without health insurance (33%). Patient sex, age, and length of time since cancer diagnosis were not associated with lack of knowledge of skin cancer type. Fifty percent of participants were women, and 97% were non-Hispanic white.
“It is of concern that individuals with a lower level of education or income are more likely to lack knowledge of their skin cancer diagnosis type, as they have a worse prognosis when diagnosed with melanoma,” Coups noted. “These findings suggest that these individuals may gain particular benefit from additional education from healthcare providers about their skin cancer diagnosis and treatment. Such information also could have a positive impact on the prevention and earlier detection of subsequent cases of skin cancer.”