Australia has the world’s highest incidence of melanoma and is responsible for more than 1,000 deaths a year but with survival rates improving, the quality of follow-up care is critically important. However, a recent report published in the Australian Health Review has found that follow-up processes, treatment and care varies significantly.
The current guidelines for follow-up treatment of melanoma in both Australia and New Zealand are based on ‘low-level’ evidence, mainly expert opinion, according to one of the authors of the report, Dr Drew Carter from the University of Adelaide.
“The problem with having no strict guidelines on how best to provide follow-up treatment for people diagnosed with melanoma is that the treatment can vary considerably,” he said.
The study notes that melanoma follow-up is provided by a range of doctors, including dermatologists, surgeons and general practitioners, with patients sometimes reviewed by more than one medical practitioner. They highlight the risks of inconsistent care and duplication of effort and testing.
As the survival rate from melanoma improves due to improved diagnosis and primary treatment, the report’s authors believe that follow-up procedures should be made uniform through detailed guidelines. They propose that existing follow-up practices should be classified into a small number of alternate models of care to observe which work best, with a view to overcoming the current lack of consistency in follow-up treatment and care.
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