A Survey of Timeframe Variations for the Management of Early Stage Melanoma among Dermatology Residency and Procedural Dermatology Fellowship Training Programs in the United States

Background: Early excision of melanomas while tumors are still superficial stage 0 or 1A) is critical. No recent studies have established a maximum recommended time period between diagnosis andexcision of these tumors. Thus, it is helpful to learn about typical timeframes recommended by general dermatology (GD) and procedural dermatology (PD) teaching rograms in the United States (US). Objective: To evaluate patterns in treatment timeframes recommended and employed by American GD and PD programs for stage 0 and 1A melanomas Methods: Anonymous online survey (SurveyMonkeyTM) distributed to all GD and PD program directors in the US. Results: 180 programs were surveyed. 59.4% (n=38) of the 64 respondents were GD, while 35.9% (n=23) were PD. For stage 0 melanomas, four weeks after diagnosis was the most common recommended treatment timeframe (43.8%, n=28), followed by two weeks (31.3%, n=20). For stage 1A tumors, two weeks was most commonly recommended (43.8%, n=28), followed by four weeks (28.1%, n=18). Conclusions: Most respondents recommended treating stage 0 and 1A melanomas within two or four weeks of diagnosis. The most common recommendation for stage 0 tumors was within four weeks, while two weeks was preferred for stage 1A tumors.