Whole-body skin self-examination

Suggested

4 studies · 1 recommendation

Last updated: February 25, 2026

Whole-body skin self-examination – Skin Cancer

Suggested4 studies

Regular whole-body skin self-examination enables early detection of melanoma and suspicious lesions

Four studies encompassing over 2.48 million participants support routine skin self-examination for skin cancer detection. A randomized controlled trial of 199 high-risk adults demonstrated naked-eye self-examination achieves 88% sensitivity and 89% specificity at the lesion level for identifying clinically suspicious cancers, outperforming teledermoscopy-assisted examination. A Norwegian screening study of 25,836 pharmacy-based skin scans found 16.4% of individuals presenting with concerning moles had abnormal findings, including 1% melanoma, capturing 4.1% of nationally registered melanoma cases in a single year. An intervention study of 120 construction workers showed educational programs significantly increased skin-checking behavior among high-risk outdoor workers. An umbrella review spanning 19 systematic reviews and approximately 2,460,600 participants confirmed that educational interventions and personalized risk information promote self-examination adoption, though overall evidence quality remains low.

Evidence

Umbrella Review:Self-examination programmes to detect cancer, what’s the evidence?

Authors: Cassie, Heather, Clarkson, Janet, Conway, David I., Glenny, Anne-Marie, McGoldrick, Niall, Shambhunath, Shambhunath, Walsh, Tanya, Wijesiri, Thushani, Young, Linda

Published: March 1, 2024

This umbrella review identified 19 systematic reviews covering 199 primary studies with circa 2,460,600 total participants. Three systematic reviews focused on skin cancer self-examination, with two additional reviews covering both skin and breast cancer. AMSTAR-2 assessment yielded 4 high-quality and 2 moderate-quality reviews out of 19 total. Analysis confined to higher-quality reviews revealed low-quality evidence supporting skin self-examination. Educational interventions and personalized cancer risk information showed some promise in promoting self-examination behavior.

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Accuracy of mobile digital teledermoscopy for skin self-examinations in adults at high risk of skin cancer: an open-label, randomised controlled trial

Authors: Avilés-Izquierdo, Baade, Berwick, Boyce, Chambers, Chao, Djaja, Genders, Hamidi, Janda, Janda, Janda, Kandel, King, Kroemer, Li, Luttrell, Manahan, Markun, Morze, Pike, Rat, Robinson, Tschandl, Venables, Wu

Published: February 20, 2020

In this randomized controlled trial of 199 high-risk adults in Brisbane, Australia, naked-eye skin self-examination achieved 88% sensitivity (95% CI 80–91) at the lesion level and 97% sensitivity (95% CI 91–100) at the individual level for detecting clinically suspicious skin cancers. Specificity was 89% (95% CI 87–91) at the lesion level and 96% (95% CI 91–100) at the individual level. Control group participants identified a median of 6.0 lesions per person (range 1–16) across three monthly self-examinations. Naked-eye self-examination actually outperformed mobile teledermoscopy-enhanced examination, which had only 75% lesion-level sensitivity (95% CI 63–84, p=0.04).

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Dermatological cancer screening: Evaluation of a new community pharmacy service

Authors: Anne-Kristin B. Bjaaen, David J. Wright, Emery, Friedman, Govindan, Kjersti W. Garstad, Lindsey, Losina, MacKie, MacKie, Mayer, Mette Valeur, Reidun L.S. Kjome, Watts, Whiteman

Published: December 6, 2016

Across 25,836 pharmacy-based skin scans on 15,777 individuals in Norway over 3.5 years, 16.4% of participants who presented with concerning moles had an abnormal finding: 1% melanoma and 15.4% another skin condition. The service captured 4.1% of Norway's nationally registered melanoma cases in 2014 alone. These results demonstrate that individuals who proactively seek evaluation of concerning skin changes have a meaningful probability of early detection. Among survey respondents (10% of participants), 88% indicated willingness to use the service again, reflecting recognition of the value of skin monitoring.

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Sun safety in construction: a UK intervention study

Authors: Borland, J. Houdmont, P. Madgwick, R. Randall, Vallejo-Torres, Woolley

Published: January 1, 2016

In this non-randomized interventional study of 120 UK construction workers (70 intervention, 50 comparison), regular skin checking for moles or unusual changes was the second-largest behavioral improvement at 12-month follow-up among the intervention group. The intervention group achieved statistically significant positive change on 9 of 10 behavioral measures overall. The finding supports the effectiveness of educational interventions in promoting skin self-examination among outdoor workers at elevated risk of occupational skin cancer.

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