Suicide in cancer patients in South East England from 1996 to 2005: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Studies from around the world have shown that suicide risk is increased in cancer patients, but no previous detailed analysis has been carried out in England

Baseline factors influencing decisions on digital follow-up of melanocytic lesions in daily practice: An Italian multicenter survey

Background: guidelines for optimized use of digital follow-up of melanocytic lesions are not yet available, and little is known about inclusion criteria adopted in clinical practice. Objective. Our purpose was to describe the frequency of digital follow-up adoption in melanoma screening, the characteristics of patients and lesions selected, and the predictors of duration of the intervals of digital follow-up. Methods: Baseline characteristics of patients and lesions selected for digital follow-up in 12 Italian pigmented lesion clinics were examined. Predictors of a short follow-up interval (4.75) was associated only with a marginal effect on the scheduled duration of follow-up interval (OR 1.34, 95% CI 0.97-1.86). These findings were confirmed by a multivariate analysis. Limitations. The adoption of different digital dermoscopy systems in the participating centers may have limited the reliability of the TDS assigned by a central group to dermoscopy images. Conclusions. Practicing dermatologists who use digital epiluminescence microscopy in screening for melanoma decided to submit at least one melanocytic lesion to digital follow-up for approximately I patient for every 5 examined. This implies costs and time spent that need to be evaluated together with the benefits of this procedure from a large-scale perspective. The lack of well-defined guidelines for inclusion and exclusion criteria may hamper optimized use of digital follow-up in daily practice