Skin Cancer Screening Education Study (SCSES)
The overall aim of this population-based screening study is to assess whether the skin cancer screening training of family physicians and dermatologists leads to improved screening outcomes. The training course aims to increase the accuracy of detecting early stages of skin cancer. Screening outcomes of an intervention region (Calgary, Canada) in which physicians receive training will be compared with screening outcomes of a control region (Edmonton, Canada) where no physician training is administered.
The investigators will determine whether:
- clinical screening outcomes are more favorable in the group of trained physicians compared to non trained physicians
- there is an increase of knowledge about skin cancer screening among trained physicians, compared to non trained physicians
- skin cancer screenings are associated with psycho-social harms
- population-based screening has an effect on the overall incidence and stage-specific-incidence of skin cancer in Alberta
The investigators are aiming to recruit 100 physicians per region (total of 200 physicians) who will screen 40,000 to 80,000 individuals over a period of 20 months.
Study Overview
Status
Status
Conditions
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Study Type
Enrollment (Actual)
Enrollment
Phase
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
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Alberta
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Calgary, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- University of Calgary, University of Alberta
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Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
Screenees
- Male and female residents of Alberta mainly living and receiving care in Edmonton or in Calgary
- Age 20+
- English-speaking
- Individuals who consent to participate
Physicians
- Registered dermatologists and family physicians administering care either in Edmonton or in Calgary
- English-speaking
- Physicians who consent to participate
Exclusion Criteria:
Physicians who have undergone special training in skin cancer screening within the last 2 years
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Screening
- Allocation: Non-Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
Number of Arms
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / ArmParticipant Group / Arm |
Intervention / TreatmentIntervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
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Experimental: Skin Cancer Screening Training
Recruited family physicians and dermatologists in Calgary, Canada, take part in a 5.5-hour face-to-face skin cancer screening training program.
Screening for skin cancer will be conducted by trained physicians according to instructions they received in the training program.
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Topics of the 5.5-hour in-class course include: the screening test, types of skin cancer (signs and symptoms), case history taking, epidemiology of skin cancer, etiology, risk factors and risk groups, communicative aspects of primary and secondary preventive measures, and benefits and harms of cancer screenings.
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No Intervention: No Skin Cancer Screening Training
Recruited family physicians and dermatologists in Edmonton, Canada, WILL BE TRAINED AFTER THE SCREENING PHASE, i.e. during the screening phase non-trained physicians will carry out skin cancer screenings according to standard medical practice.
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What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
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Change in the diagnostic accuracy including knowledge on skin cancer screening
Time Frame: month 1 pre-training (intervention and control region), month 1 post-training (intervention region only), and month 12 (both regions)
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Educational outcomes of physicians will be measured pre- and post-training using knowledge tests in the intervention and control region
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month 1 pre-training (intervention and control region), month 1 post-training (intervention region only), and month 12 (both regions)
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Number needed to screen (NNS) to identify 1 skin tumor and number needed to excise (NNE) to identify 1 skin tumor
Time Frame: 20 months
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Case report forms will be analyzed to determine clinical screening outcomes such as the NNS, NNE and tumor thickness.
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20 months
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Patient-rated well-being
Time Frame: 20 months
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A patient questionnaire will be used to assess psycho-social harms of skin cancer screenings.
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20 months
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Trends of overall skin cancer incidence and stage-specific-incidence
Time Frame: Up to 6 years (2012-2018)
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Up to 6 years (2012-2018)
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Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Sponsor
Collaborators
Collaborators
Investigators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Lynne H Robertson, MD, FRCPC, University Of Calgary
- Principal Investigator: Gordon E Searles, MD, FRCPC, University of Alberta
- Principal Investigator: Eckhard W Breitbart, MD, PhD, Association of Dermatological Prevention, Germany
Publications and helpful links
Helpful Links
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start
Study Start
Primary Completion (Actual)
Primary Completion
Study Completion (Anticipated)
Study Completion
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Estimate)
First Posted
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Posted
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
Other Study ID Numbers
- LEO-SCSES_1013
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