The initial effects on workload and outcome of a public education campaign on early diagnosis and treatment of malignant melanoma in Leicestershire

Abstract

We report our experience of the initial effects of a publicity campaign directed at early presentation of malignant melanoma in Leicestershire. The campaign resulted in a dramatic increase in workload and, at the pigmented lesion clinic, the numbers of new patients rose from 12.3 to 54.5 per clinic. There was a large rise in the number of new melanomas presenting in Leicestershire: from 1.02 per week before the campaign to 1.88 per week in the immediate postpublicity period. This was statistically significant (P<0.001), Although there was also an apparently encouraging rise in the percentage of thinner ‘good prognosis’ tumours, it was not possible to isolate this statistically from a pre‐existing trend.