Melanoma Awareness and Self-Examination Practices in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Althoughmelanoma rationalizes less than 1% of cases with skin cancer, it accounts for the greater number of skin cancer deaths. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the current knowledge and self-examination practices in Saudi Arabia. Subjects and methods: A cross-control study was conducted using an anonymous web-based survey. A total of 203subjects from Saudi Arabia took part in this survey during the period from 11 December 2017 to 23 December 2017.Participants were asked to fill an anonymous survey about their demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding early detection of melanoma. Results: The majority of the subjects were males (55%), university/post graduates (78%), single (83%) and have no children (89%).Around 76% of our population was aware of melanoma, about 65% were aware of its risk factor, and about 55% could identify its early symptoms. The greater number of subjects 196(96.6%) reported that they did not conduct self-examination. Conclusion: Despite the fact that the majority of our population was aware of melanoma, our study suggests designing and implementing awareness campaigns and programs to highlight the importance of early detection of melanoma and skin self-examination (SSE).