The objective of this study was to evaluate the early detection of skin cancer, with emphasis on comparison of campaign (short high-intensity periods) and routine (continuous low-intensity) activity.
The study population consisted of 5903 campaign and 4284 routine attenders visiting a nurse at the Pirkanmaa Cancer Society between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 2000. Skin cancers were identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry. The performance of the program was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values.
A single lesion was more frequently examined during campaigns whereas a partial or total body were examined less frequently (p