Chicago City Wire

Northwestern University issued the following announcement on Aug. 4

Patients worried about a skin lesion should consider asking their dermatologist for a full-body scan versus just examining the lesion in isolation, as a new Northwestern Medicine study has found doctors are more than twice as likely to find skin cancer with a full-body check.

“This study shows the importance of a complete skin exam, also called a full-body skin exam, for finding skin cancer,” said lead author Dr. Murad Alam, vice chair of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician. “Dermatologists need to take the opportunity to look over the patient’s entire body, even when the appointment is just for a suspicious lesion. And patients need to request one in case the doctor doesn’t suggest it.”

The study was based on a medical-record review of more than 1,000 patients treated at an academic medical center. It will be published in September in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. 

More than half of the skin cancers discovered were not where the patient thought they were, the study found. 

“If the dermatologist did not check their entire body, these skin cancers would be missed,” Alam said.  

The skin cancers discovered during full-body skin exams include not only basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, but also melanomas, which can be life-threatening. 

“The bottom line is everyone with a risk of skin cancer or a suspicious skin lesion should have a complete skin exam because this is the best way to find skin cancers,” Alam said. “This practice can save many lives.”

Skin cancers, the most common cancers in the U.S., can be successfully treated if detected early. About 5 million people a year are diagnosed skin cancer.

Dermatologists have always suggested the importance of full-body skin exams for finding skin cancer, Alam said. Anyone at risk for skin cancer due to fair skin, sun exposure history or other risk factors should have routine full-body skin exams because these are the most reliable way to find skin cancers.