Concerns that doctors are skimping on melanoma biopsies

Dermatologists warn against slipping standards as shave biopsies soar
Associate Professor Stephen Shumack
Associate Professor Stephen Shumack.

Best practice in diagnosis and follow-up of melanoma is slipping in Australia, leading dermatologists warn.

They say clinical practice is diverging from national guidelines, with rising rates of shave rather than excisional biopsy and reduced risk stratification using sentinel lymph node biopsy.