United States preventive services task force overstates cosmetic harms of skin cancer screening

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2016 recommendation for skin cancer screening in asymptomatic healthy adults concluded that current evidence is "insufficient to assess the balance and harms of visual skin examination.™ One contributing factor leading to the insufficient grade was a concern for cosmetic harms resulting from unnecessary biopsies or excisions. This commentary briefly highlights the pertinent studies and currently accepted methods for pigmented lesion biopsy. Reviewing these data will permit clinicians to more thoroughly analyze the USPSTF statement and might assist in routine assessment and management of suspicious pigmented lesions in adult patients.