The Ethics of Skin Cancer Screening

This chapter examines the ethics of two types of skin cancer screening: free skin cancer screening events, like those sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) SPOTme® campaign, open to the public, and screening examinations in the office at the request of patients at low risk for skin cancer (“the worried well”). The analysis of free skin cancer screenings focuses on utilitarian (public health), justice (access to care), and ethics of caring (relationship-building) perspectives. The evaluation of requests for frequent total body skin exams (TBSEs) by low-risk patient involves patient autonomy, associated limits conferred by distributive justice and other factors.