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© The Author(s) 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Introduction

Melanoma surveillance photography (MSP) is a comprehensive surveillance method that comprises two- or three-dimensional total body photography with tagged digital dermoscopy, performed at prescribed intervals. It has the potential to reduce unnecessary biopsies and enhance early detection of melanoma, but it is not yet standard care for all high-risk patients in Australia. This protocol describes a randomised controlled trial (RCT) designed to evaluate the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of using MSP for the surveillance of individuals at ultra-high or high risk of melanoma from a health system perspective.

Methods and design

This is a registry-based, unblinded, multi-site, parallel-arm RCT that will be conducted over 3 years. We aim to recruit 580 participants from three Australian states: Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, via state cancer registries or direct referral from clinicians. Eligible participants within 24 months of a primary cutaneous melanoma diagnosis will be randomised 1:1 to receive either MSP in addition to their routine clinical surveillance (intervention group) or routine clinical surveillance without MSP (control group). Most participants will continue surveillance with their usual care provider, and the frequency of follow-up visits in both groups will depend on the stage of their primary melanoma and risk factors. The primary outcome measure of the study is the number of unnecessary biopsies (i.e. false positives, being cases where a lesion is biopsied due to suspected melanoma on clinical examination, either with or without MSP, but the resulting histopathology finding is negative for melanoma). Secondary outcomes include the evaluation of health economic outcomes, quality of life and patient acceptability. Two sub-studies will explore the benefit of MSP in high-risk patients prior to a melanoma diagnosis and the diagnostic performance of MSP in the teledermatology setting compared to the en face clinical setting.

Discussion

This trial will determine the clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness and affordability of MSP to facilitate policy decision-making at the national and local levels, across primary and specialist care.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04385732. Registered on May 13, 2020.

Details

Title
Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the use of melanoma surveillance photography to the Improve early detection of MelanomA in ultra-hiGh and high-risk patiEnts (the IMAGE trial)
Author
Yan, Mabel K. 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cust, Anne E. 2 ; Soyer, H. Peter 3 ; Janda, Monika 4 ; Loewe, Katja 5 ; Byars, Gabrielle 5 ; Fishburn, Paul 6 ; White, Paul 5 ; Mahumud, Rashidul Alam 7 ; Saw, Robyn P. M. 8 ; Herschtal, Alan 9 ; Fernandez-Penas, Pablo 10 ; Guitera, Pascale 11 ; Morton, Rachael L. 12 ; Kelly, John 13 ; Wolfe, Rory 9 ; Mar, Victoria J. 1 

 Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia (GRID:grid.1002.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7857); Alfred Hospital, Victorian Melanoma Service, Melbourne, Australia (GRID:grid.1623.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 0432 511X) 
 The University of Sydney, a Joint Venture With Cancer Council NSW, The Daffodil Centre, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X); Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X) 
 The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Dermatology Research Centre, Brisbane, Australia (GRID:grid.1003.2) (ISNI:0000 0000 9320 7537); Princess Alexandra Hospital, Dermatology Department, Woolloongabba, Australia (GRID:grid.412744.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 0380 2017) 
 Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia (GRID:grid.1003.2) (ISNI:0000 0000 9320 7537) 
 Monash University, Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research Centre, Melbourne, Australia (GRID:grid.1002.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7857) 
 Norwest Skin Cancer Centre, Bella Vista, New South Wales, Australia (GRID:grid.1002.3) 
 The University of Sydney, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X) 
 Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X); The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X); Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Department of Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.413249.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0385 0051) 
 Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia (GRID:grid.1002.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7857) 
10  The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X) 
11  Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X); The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X); Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Melanoma Diagnostic Centre, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.413249.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0385 0051) 
12  Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (GRID:grid.1013.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 834X) 
13  Alfred Hospital, Victorian Melanoma Service, Melbourne, Australia (GRID:grid.1623.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 0432 511X) 
Pages
236
Publication year
2023
Publication date
Dec 2023
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
17456215
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2792195298
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.