Opportunistic screening for skin cancer using a mobile unit in Brazil

The diagnosis of skin cancer was accomplished through active medical screening in the prevention Mobile Unit (MU) of Barretos Cancer Hospital (BCH). The study population consisted of patients examined in the MU between 2004 and 2007, and their suspicious lesions were subjected to histopathological evaluation. Data were collected prospectively from standardized forms and analyzed.During the screening, 17,857 consultations were carried out. A total of 2012 (11.2%) cases of skin cancer were diagnosed. The predominant histological type reported was basal cell carcinoma (n = 1,642 or 81.6%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (n = 303 or 15.1%), Bowen's disease (n = 25 or 1.2%), malignant melanoma (n = 23 or 1.1%), basosquamous cell carcinoma (n = 3 or 0.1%), miscellaneous lesions (12 or 0.6%), and metatypical carcinoma (n = 4 or 0.2%). Only 0.6% of lesions were stage III. There were no stage IV non-melanoma skin lesions, as well as no melanomas stages III and IV, found.It was observed that the MU can be a useful tool for early skin cancer diagnosis and treatment. This program probably is important, especially in developing countries with inadequate public health systems and social inequality.Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in the white population worldwide[1]. The 2 most common histopathological variants are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC); despite their low mortality rates, these tumors can induce serious sequelae as a consequence of surgery[1]. The third most common skin cancer type, malignant melanoma, has a more aggressive behavior and consequently a poorer prognosis; malignant melanoma accounts for approximately 75% of all deaths from skin cancer[2].There is strong evidence to date that whole-body clinical skin examination reduces the incidence of thick melanoma and, consequently, screening would reduce melanoma mortality[3]. Melanoma thickness at presentation is significantly associated with educational level[4]. In Brazil,