The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of cutaneous melanomas: A retrospective cohort study from five European skin cancer reference centres.
Alexander TroeschHoellwerth MagdalenaStephan ForchhammerLaura Del RegnoGeorg LoddePatrick TurkoPhil F ChengMitchell L LevesqueEva HadaschikElisabeth LivingstoneKetty PerisLukas FlatzKoelblinger PeterReinhard DummerFlorentia DimitriouPublished in: Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV (2023)
The study confirms the diagnostic delay in cutaneous melanomas due to the COVID-19 lockdown. High-risk individuals, such as patients with personal history of melanoma and elderly individuals, were more hesitant to restart their regular skin cancer screenings post-COVID. Further studies with longer follow-up are required to evaluate the consequences of this diagnostic delay in long-term outcomes.