SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine®, Caring for Melanoma Survivors with Self-Detected Concerning Moles During COVID-19 Restricted Physician Access

CHICAGO, IL, USA, May 13, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- You have a spot on your skin that you are worried about and can’t get a live dermatology visit for evaluation due to COVID-19 closures. This now common occurrence has left many Americans, including physicians, seemingly powerless to look out for their health and, in the case of physicians, the wellbeing of their patients. Like many states, “the March 2020 Illinois stay at home order in-person physician appointments for non-essential care ceased,” as was pointed out by Dr. June K. Robinson et al in a recent publication.

Robinson and colleagues set out to pilot test a telehealth solution for patients to rule out melanomas and need for surgical biopsies based on dermatologist-lead verification and remote genomic analysis via at-home adhesive patch skin sample collection kits. Melanoma survivors submitted images of moles they were concerned about or that their dermatologist considered clinically suspicious for melanoma. Guided by their dermatologists, patients collected samples that were couriered to DermTech for genomic assessment of 2 important genes (LINC00518 and PRAME) implicated in melanoma.

In addition to the Pigmented Lesion Assay (PLA) that tested the aforementioned genes, patients also performed an SSE (skin self-examination) that included questions measuring SSE-related anxiety. These SSEs were taken 9 months before COVID-19 and then during COVID-19. The authors reported a statistically significant increase in SSE-related anxiety during COVID-19. Results also showed that self-sampling led to successful molecular risk factor analysis by PLA alone and when compared to physician-sampled control cases (100% vs 90%, respectively).

The authors concluded that this proof-of-concept of “adhesive patch self-sampling under remote physician guidance is a viable specimen collection option.” Melanoma is the 5th most common in the U.S for both men and women. Ensuring that patients can continue to effectively monitor their risk is now, in a time of limited patient-physician interaction, more important than ever. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) is making a concerted effort to support telehealth practices and we should all make sure to maintain stewardship of our own health by utilizing the resources made available to us during these unprecedented times.


SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine^® is a peer-reviewed online medical journal that is the official journal of The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine. The mission of SKIN is to provide an enhanced and accelerated route to disseminate new dermatologic knowledge for all aspects of cutaneous disease.

For more details please visit www.jofskin.org or contact jofskin@gmail.com.

(DOI: 10.25251/skin.4.3.5)

June K. Robinson
Dept of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg SOM
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