DOI: 10.1093/bjd/ljag341 ISSN: 0007-0963

Alternative diagnostic labels for melanoma in-situ: a randomised online experiment

Katy J L Bell, Zhuohan Wu, Farzaneh Boroumand, Lisa Parker, David Elder, Peter Ferguson, Blake O'Brien, Alexander C J van Akkooi, Adewole S Adamson, Elspeth Davies, Richard A Scolyer, Raymond L Barnhill, Jon Emery, Donald Low, Cynthia Low, Brooke Nickel

Half of the participants in this randomized online experiment of 1655 Australian adults would prefer to not have a wide local excision after a completely excised low-risk melanocytic lesion, if offered this option. Using the term “low risk melanocytic neoplasm” instead of “melanoma in-situ” reduced anxiety and the proportion choosing a wide local excision. Across all label groups, most participants preferred to attend routine 6-monthly clinic visits for follow-up, likely reflecting the high prevalence of this in the Australian context.

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