A new study adds to mounting evidence that melanoma is being massively overdiagnosed, as detailed by an article from National Geographic. The study found that 65 percent of melanoma cases in white men and 50 percent in white women are in fact unnecessarily diagnosed.

“I don’t think enough people understand the potential scope of how much melanoma is overdiagnosed. It’s quite alarming,” the study’s lead author Adewole Adamson, a dermatologist at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, told National Geographic. “You’re catching tumors that never would have caused harm.”

“Patients talk about their fear of dying, fear of the sun, fear of the cancer coming back. Some make drastic decisions about whether they are going to get married or have kids,” Adamson says. “We are harming a significant number of people.”

Despite a significant increase in melanoma diagnoses, overall death rates from the disease have remained flat, indicating a potential problem of overdiagnosis rather than an actual epidemic. Research suggests that a majority of people are receiving unnecessary melanoma diagnoses, leading to unnecessary treatments, financial costs, scarring, and psychological distress for patients. Factors contributing to overdiagnosis include changes in dermatology conventions regarding the size of moles biopsied and pathologists’ tendencies to err on the side of caution to avoid malpractice lawsuits.

Despite the lack of evidence supporting the effectiveness of regular skin cancer screenings for everyone, some organizations still advocate for annual skin checks. However, experts caution against routine screenings for asymptomatic individuals and emphasize the importance of self-examination and seeking medical evaluation for any suspicious skin changes.

The article concludes with a call for honesty from dermatologists about the uncertainties surrounding full-body skin checks and the need for further research to determine the actual benefits of early melanoma detection.

Click here to access the article from National Geographic (behind pay wall).

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