The central finding made manifestly clear in a recent skin cancer study is this: When it comes to proper diagnosis, leave it to a specialist.

Although that might sound just a bit callous, the data-derived conclusions of researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine indicate that misdiagnosis in the first instance by a general practitioner of what constitutes a cancerous skin lesion occurs in the majority of cases where a referral is made to a cancer specialist.

And not only that: In many of the patients examined, dermatologists identified one or more lesions not commented upon by a referring doctor that turned out to cancerous more than half the time. Ten percent of these lesions were melanomas, which are the most dangerous cancers and often fatal.

"This is not to disrespect any non-dermatologist," said a commenter on the study and spokesperson for the Skin Cancer Foundation, who adds that, unsurprisingly, detection accuracy goes up when examinations are performed by specialists who see cancer patients regularly and deal exclusively with the disease.

Cancer experts say that they routinely see patients on referral with a general doctor's identification of a lesion that he or she thinks is cancerous that turns out to be, upon further examination, non-cancerous and not in need of a biopsy. In fact, the Yale study concluded that only about 20 percent of lesions initially identified by a non-specialist turned out to be cancerous.

Dr. Daniel G. Federman, the study author, says that non-dermatologists who conduct in-office examinations for cancer "should improve their diagnostic skills" and either ensure that they perform a thorough, full-body skin examination or refer to a dermatologist.

Related Resource: U.S. News & World Report, "GPs Lack Accuracy in Spotting Skin Cancers: Study" May 16, 2011