LAUSR

Detecting melanoma in the earlier stages of the disease reduces mortality. Breslow thickness is an important determinant of prognosis. In Western Australia, between 2000 and 2011, the median Breslow thickness of melanomas increased. Previous studies have shown a positive association between age and male gender, and Breslow thickness. Lesion characteristics, such as the anatomical location, subjective lesion changes and the amelanotic melanoma subtype, have been associated with Breslow thickness. Our study sought to understand the characteristics of patients presenting with thicker melanoma. These included personal factors, such as general demographics and the visibility of the culprit lesion, and health-care experiences prior to diagnosis. We also sought to compare patients with non-pigmented lesions to those with pigmented lesions. Over a 2-year period, patients with melanoma, who presented for follow-up at a single melanoma service in Western Australia, were invited to complete a questionnaire whilst waiting for their appointment. The questionnaire contained 12 questions pertaining to demographics, lesion characteristics and health-care experiences. Patients reported their age as a continuous variable and selected responses from a set of options for all other questions. The surveys were matched to a pathology result for Breslow thickness. A descriptive summary was produced to identify shared characteristics. As a secondary outcome, patients with pigmented lesions and those with non-pigmented lesions were compared. Important limitations in the data collection methodology should be noted: time from diagnosis to response was not recorded; survey refusal rate not recorded; and nor was there any external validation of the survey. SPSS version 23 was used for statistical analysis. Chisquared tests assessed the association between categorical variables. Independent samples t-tests compared continuous variables between groups. Post hoc analysis ensured adequate power, for a large effect size, for comparisons between the pigmented and non-pigmented groups. This study was approved by the St John of God Health Care Human Research Ethics Committee (ref: 746). All patients provided informed consent. One hundred and fourteen patients completed the questionnaire. Responses are summarised in Table 1. The mean age was 62 years (SD = 16). Sixty per cent of the cohort