Implementing an intensive, technology-based melanoma surveillance program in GP skin clinics could lead to improved detection of primary melanoma without unnecessary excisions, a study suggests.

The value of full body examination of patients at very high risk of melanoma every six months was recently tested in a GP skin clinic and three dermatology clinics in NSW.

Some 593 patients (median age 58), most with a previous history of melanoma, were examined every six months using a hand-held dermoscopy device, comparison with total body photography taken at baseline, and the use of sequential digital dermoscopy imaging (SDDI) where appropriate.

Over a median 2.9 years of follow-up, one in five participants had one or more primary melanomas excised, with 67% found with the assistance of full body photography or dermoscopy imaging.