Skin Cancer Prevention: Behavioral Counseling
Release Date: March 2018
|Young adults, adolescents, children, and parents of young children|
The USPSTF recommends counseling young adults, adolescents, children, and parents of young children about minimizing exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation for persons aged 6 months to 24 years with fair skin types to reduce their risk of skin cancer.
|Adults older than 24 years with fair skin types|
The USPSTF recommends that clinicians selectively offer counseling to adults older than 24 years with fair skin types about minimizing their exposure to UV radiation to reduce risk of skin cancer. Existing evidence indicates that the net benefit of counseling all adults older than 24 years is small. In determining whether counseling is appropriate in individual cases, patients and clinicians should consider the presence of risk factors for skin cancer.
See the Clinical Considerations section for information on risk assessment.
The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of counseling adults about skin self-examination to prevent skin cancer.
See the Clinical Considerations section for suggestions for practice regarding the I statement.
Related Information for Consumers
Internet Citation: Final Update Summary: Skin Cancer Prevention: Behavioral Counseling. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. March 2018.