Skin cancer diagnosis accuracy varies by physician: 4 study notes

Compared to primary care physicians, dermatologists have 13.3-fold higher accuracy when diagnosing melanoma using dermoscopic images, according to a study published Nov. 13 in JAMA Dermatology. 

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System conducted a meta-analysis of 100 studies from PubMed, Embase and Web of Science in which dermatologists or primary care physicians examined keratinocytic and melanocytic skin lesions.

Here are four notes from the study:

1. When using clinical examination and images to examine for melanoma, sensitivity and specificity were 76.9% and 89.1%, respectively, for experienced dermatologists, 78.3% and 66.2% for inexperienced dermatologists, and 37.5% and 84.6% for primary care physicians.
   
   
2. When using in-person dermoscopy and dermoscopic images to examine for melanoma, sensitivity and specificity were 85.7% and 81.3%, respectively, for experienced dermatologists, 78.0% and 69.5% for inexperienced dermatologists, and 49.5% and 91.3% for primary care physicians.
   
   
3. Experienced dermatologists had 2.5-fold higher accuracy when diagnosing keratinocytic carcinomas using in-person dermoscopy and dermoscopic images compared with clinical examination.
   
   
4. Experienced dermatologists had 5.7-fold higher accuracy when diagnosing melanoma using dermoscopy compared with clinical examination.