Early detection of melanoma: reviewing the ABCDEs

American Academy of Dermatology Ad Hoc Task Force for the ABCDEs of Melanoma; Hensin Tsao; Jeannette M Olazagasti; Kelly M Cordoro; Jerry D Brewer; Susan C Taylor; Jeremy S Bordeaux; Mary-Margaret Chren; Arthur J Sober; Connie Tegeler; Reva Bhushan; Wendy Smith Begolka

doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2015.01.025

Early detection of melanoma: reviewing the ABCDEs

J Am Acad Dermatol. 2015 Apr;72(4):717-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2015.01.025. Epub 2015 Feb 16.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
² Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
³ Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, California.
⁴ Society Hill Dermatology and Cosmetic Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
⁵ Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
⁶ Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, California; Dermatology Service, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California.
⁷ American Academy of Dermatology, Schaumburg, Illinois.
⁸ American Academy of Dermatology, Schaumburg, Illinois. Electronic address: wsmithbegolka@aad.org.

PMID: 25698455
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2015.01.025

Abstract

Over the course of their nearly 30-year history, the ABCD(E) criteria have been used globally in medical education and in the lay press to provide simple parameters for assessment of pigmented lesions that need to be further evaluated by a dermatologist. In this article, the efficacy and limitations of the ABCDE criteria as both a clinical tool and a public message will be reviewed.

Keywords: ABCDE; criteria; detection; diagnosis; melanoma; screening.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Dermatology / education
Early Detection of Cancer*
Education, Medical, Continuing
General Practitioners / education
Health Education
Humans
Melanoma / diagnosis*
Melanoma / pathology
Physicians, Family / education
Physicians, Primary Care / education
Referral and Consultation
Self-Examination
Sensitivity and Specificity
Skin Neoplasms / diagnosis*
Skin Neoplasms / pathology
Symptom Assessment