Skin tumours including melanoma

Summary

The NICE clinical guideline on skin tumours outlines how healthcare services for people with skin tumours should be organised. The key recommendations are:

- Cancer networks should establish two levels of multidisciplinary teams to care for patients.
- Patients with a precancerous lesion should either be treated by their GP or referred.
- The care of patients with low-risk basal cell carcinoma may be managed by doctors in the community or at a local hospital.
- Patients who need specialist diagnosis should be referred to a doctor trained to diagnose skin cancer.
- Skin cancer teams should work to agreed protocols.
- Protocols should cover the management of care for people in high-risk or special groups.
- Follow-up care should be agreed.
- All patients and carers should have access to high quality information.
- Information should be collected.
- More research should be done.

Documents

For healthcare professionals

• Improving outcomes for people with skin tumours including melanoma: Analysis of potential economic impact
• Improving outcomes for people with skin tumours including melanoma: Evidence Review
• Improving outcomes for people with skin tumours including melanoma: The Manual

For patients, carers and the public

• Improving outcomes for people with skin tumours including melanoma: Information for the public

Background information

• 2006/009 NICE issues guidance to improve healthcare services for skin cancers

Implementing this guidance

Any further information NICE has produced to help the NHS implement this guideline locally is linked to below:

• None found