Clinical pathways to diagnose melanoma: A population-based study

Abstract

To better understand the clinical diagnostic process for invasive melanoma in Queensland. Descriptive population-based study of Queensland residents (n=3772) aged 20-75 years diagnosed with invasive melanoma between January 2000 and December 2003. Information was obtained via telephone interview combined with pathology data from the Queensland Cancer Registry. About 85% of melanoma patients diagnosed in Queensland saw a general practitioner at least once during the process, most of these for the initial consultation. Almost one-fifth of patients (18.1%) saw a skin clinic doctor sometime through the diagnosis pathway; this proportion increased significantly over the study period (P<0.001). Th..