Improving triage and management of patients with skin cancer: challenges and considerations for the future

Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in humans, thus representing a major health concern. Because of the increasing attention to skin cancer prevention, there has been a growing workload for dermatology clinics, with patients referred from primary care requiring assessment of suspicious skin tumors. This places a strain on limited specialist resources and can create a paradoxical situation wherein an early diagnosis becomes increasingly difficult for those patients who actually do suffer from skin cancer. The aim of these recommendations is to propose an updated, rational system of triage, involving improved accuracy of diagnosis and more timely management of skin cancer by both general practitioners and dermatologists.