Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Task Force: There's Insufficient Evidence To Recommend Routine Skin Cancer Screenings
The New York Times: Should You Get Screened For Skin Cancer?
Every summer as Americans slather on sun lotion, they are reminded of the dangers of skin cancer. This year alone, more than 76,000 people in the United States will develop melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease, and about 10,000 will die from it. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said on Tuesday, however, that there still isn’t enough evidence to recommend total-body screenings and declined to take a position on the practice. (St. Fleur, 7/26)
The Washington Post: Expert Panel Declines To Recommend Routine Full-Body Screening For Skin Cancer
The federally appointed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gave the visual screening a rating of "I" — meaning there was insufficient evidence for it to weigh the potential benefits against possible harms — for Americans of average risk. Yet its statement drew immediate pushback, with some physicians saying the outcome might encourage people to skip the awkward ritual of stripping down for an examination by their doctor for melanoma and other skin cancers. "We make recommendations based on evidence only, not on expert opinion, and we put equal weight on the potential benefits and the harms," said David Grossman, vice chairman of the task force and a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute. "And we really don’t have good evidence on the benefits of screening." (McGinley, 7/26)
Kaiser Health News: Gov’t Task Force Finds Evidence Lacking to Support Visual Skin Cancer Screenings
For years, many dermatologists have urged patients to have a full-body visual check for skin cancer. But a new report by a panel of medical experts concluded for the second time in seven years that there is not enough evidence that these screenings benefit patients to recommend them as a preventive service. (Heredia Rodriguez, 7/26)
The Dallas Morning News: Routine Screening For Skin Cancer Not Recommended, Expert Panel Says
There's not enough evidence to prove that routine, full-body skin cancer screenings save lives when conducted across the general adult population, an expert panel finds. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released updated guidelines Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association and declined to recommend routine full-body screens. (Rice, 7/26)
