Screening may be cost-effective

Boston - Universal one-time melanoma screening of adults ages 50 or older by dermatologists would cost about $10,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained, which compares favorably with the cost of breast or colon cancer screening.

A second cost-effective model for melanoma screening would be dermatologist screening of melanoma patients' siblings every two years, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Dermatology.

The one-time screening would save 1.6 quality-adjusted life years for every 1,000 patients, it says.