Is Physician Detection Associated With Thinner Melanomas?

Abstract
The incidence and mortality rates associated with primary cutaneous melanoma continue to increase in the United States.1 In 1998, it is estimated that 41,600 individuals were diagnosed as having invasive melanoma, and that 7300 people died due to the disease.2 Efforts to reverse these trends have focused on primary prevention through public awareness programs and sun exposure education.3-5 Yet, the current lifetime risk of an American developing malignant melanoma is expected to reach 1 in 75 by the year 2000.6