Understanding the Role of Dermatologists and Oncologists in Melanoma Treatment in France and the UK

Melanoma is one of the most common cancers in Europe with an estimated 100,000 newly diagnosed patients per year and more than 22,000 expected deaths. Melanoma typically requires the involvement of multiple specialties, including oncologists, dermatologists, surgeons, radiologists. The role of these specialists can vary across Europe and is not well documented. This study identifies the involvement of different specialties in the management of melanoma in France and in the UK. An on-line survey was conducted among a large panel of aproximately 5,000 specialists (10% sampling error within each specialty) involved in the management of key cancers, including melanoma. Physicians were invited to participate through the M3 medical portal in France (n=822), Germany (n=1288), Spain (n=905), Italy (n=955), UK (n=927). The specialty distribution was based on published universe statistics (All Global and PBIRG). The survey included questions around the involvement of specialists in decisions such as diagnosis, cancer treatment and referrals. Of the surveyed panel, 83% of dermatologists in France vs 77% in the UK reported to manage melanoma. 65% of UK dermatologists and 42% of France dermatologists reported that approximately one fifth of all cases seen during a typical month were melanoma patients. Of these, 13% (in the UK) vs. 46% (in France) of cases were treated with chemotherapy or a targeted therapy. Compared to dermatologists, oncologists typically saw fewer melanoma cases as part of their monthly workload (8% in the UK vs. 4% in France) and these were predominantly drug-treated patients (France 93% vs. UK 82%). As expected, oncologists are predominantly managing melanoma drug-treated patients. However, there is a large proportion of dermatologists in France who are also taking on this role compared to their UK counterpart. Further analyses will identify the full extent of involvement of different specialities in the management of melanoma.