Telehealth helps doctors catch skin cancer during covid-19

The goal is “to weigh the risks against the benefits,” explains Cerrene Giordano, a dermatologic surgeon and assistant professor of clinical dermatology at the University of

Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. “Leaving some of these skin cancers such as melanoma untreated, especially if they are at a more aggressive stage, could potentially be more

life-threatening than the risk of COVID-19,” she adds. Even with some doctor's offices and clinics resuming in-person appointments, cancer screening rates for 2020 are far behind where

they should be. A report from the health care technology company Komodo Health found that colonoscopies and biopsies performed to diagnose colon cancer declined by nearly 90 percent between

January and mid-April, compared to the same period last year; cervical cancer screenings were down by more than 68 percent. "We looked at all of our biopsy results from March 14, which

is when all our clinics closed down, through the end of April and they all just plummeted,” says Carrie Kovarik, a dermatopathologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University

of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. “And it was really shocking to see how few melanomas and non-melanoma skin cancers we were diagnosing when we know that they're

still out there.” HOW TO DO AN AT-HOME SKIN CHECK * Stand in front of a full-length mirror and study your skin, front and back. * Look at your underarms, forearms and palms. * Look at the

back of your legs, the soles of your feet and between your toes. * Use a hand mirror to examine the back of your neck and scalp. * Finally, use a hand mirror to check your back and buttocks.

* Contact a board-certified dermatologist if you notice any new spots on your skin, spots that are different from others or spots that are changing, itching or bleeding. _Source: American

Academy of Dermatology_ Dermatology, however, has an advantage over other specialties when it comes to detecting a potential cancer. It's a “visual field,” explains Julie Karen, a New

York City-based dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. And high-tech imaging equipment and invasive procedures are

not always needed to let doctors know that there's cause for concern. "There are things that we look at by telemedicine and say, ‘That's definitely cancer.’ You know, some

things you can still tell,” Kovarik says. CAUSES FOR CONCERN Even still, tele-dermatology has its limitations. Full body skin exams, which doctors regularly perform during in-office visits

to identify suspicious spots, are not conducive to video appointments and phone calls. Instead, dermatologists are asking patients to do their own skin checks at home and to reach out with

any concerns — at least until normal appointment loads resume. When going over your skin, keep the children's story “The Ugly Duckling” in mind, Giordano says. “People tend to have

spots that look the same on their body, and so if they have a spot that all of a sudden doesn't quite look like the other spots, or doesn't quite fit in,” it could be a warning

sign of cancer, she explains.