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Anthony Dixon

Publications and source records attributed to Anthony Dixon.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Skin cancer clinics in Australia: workload profile and performance indicators from an analysis of billing data.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the workload profile in a network of Australian skin cancer clinics. DESIGN AND SETTING: Analysis of billing data for the first 6 months of 2005 in a primary-care skin cancer clinic network, consisting of seven clinics and staffed by 20 doctors, located in the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Consultation to biopsy ratio (CBR); biopsy to treatment ratio (BTR); number of benign naevi excised per melanoma (number needed to treat [NNT]). RESULTS: Of 69 780 billed activities, 34 622 (49.6%) were consultations, 19 358 (27.7%) biopsies, 8055 (11.5%) surgical excisions, 2804 (4.0%) additional surgical repairs, 1613 (2.3%) non-surgical treatments of cancers and 3328 (4.8%) treatments of premalignant or non-malignant lesions. A total of 6438 cancers were treated (116 melanomas by excision, 4709 non-melanoma skin cancers [NMSCs] by excision, and 1613 NMSCs non-surgically); 5251 (65.2%) surgical wounds were repaired by direct suture, 2651 (32.9%) by a flap (of which 44.8% were simple flaps), 42 (0.5%) by wedge excision and 111 (1.4%) by grafts. The CBR was 1.79, the BTR was 3.1 and the NNT was 28.6. CONCLUSIONS: In this network of Australian skin cancer clinics, one in three biopsies identified a skin cancer (BTR, 3.1), and about 29 benign lesions were excised per melanoma (NNT, 28.6). The estimated NNT was similar to that reported previously in general practice. More data are needed on health outcomes, including effectiveness of treatment and surgical repair.

Australia↗
PubMed2006

Skin cancer medicine in primary care: towards an agenda for quality health outcomes.

The number of skin cancer clinics functioning within Australia's primary care environment is increasing rapidly, and significant concerns have been raised about the type and quality of work done by some doctors in some clinics. Mainstream general practice is threatened by perceived fragmentation, and specialist practice in dermatology and plastic surgery is threatened by encroachment into their domains of practice. We propose an agenda of training, standards, accreditation, audit and research to ensure that skin cancer clinics provide optimal health outcomes for patients.

Accreditation↗
PubMed2006

One lump or two? A case study of infiltrating BCC on the nose.

Case history - A woman aged 42 years, who works as a hairdresser, presents with two apparent actinic lesions on the right of her nose (Figure 1). Close clinical examination reveals the lesions are likely to be infiltrating basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). The lesions are firm with similar nontender indurations surrounding each site. Infiltrating BCCs can extend beyond the poorly defined clinical borders. Could these two lesions be the one tumour?

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Managing skin cancer below the knee.

CASE STUDY: Mr RR, 74 years of age, developed a nodule on his lower right leg in mid 2005. He was offered the option of excision, skin graft and 10 days bed stay with elevation at a private hospital, but declined due to the cost. He was then referred to a major urban cancer institute for opinion. He was advised that the nodule would most likely fall off and that a 'watch and wait' approach was indicated. Presumably there was a clinical diagnosis of keratoacanthoma.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Melanoma with cutaneous melanoma secondaries.

CASE HISTORY: Mr HG presented in 2002 with a large black lesion on his left loin. It had been present for many years but had recently changed (Figure 1). Nearby, two similar lesions were apparently separated by normal skin. Histology confirmed these were malignant melanoma. The 'normal' skin between lesions also demonstrated melanoma beneath the surface. At its thickest, this melanoma was a (Breslow) 2.56 mm, Clark 4 lesion. The tumour was excised with a minimum 20 mm margin of normal skin. Given the depth of the tumour, Mr HG was co-managed with the Victoria Melanoma Unit. There are no radiotherapy or chemotherapy programs that have been demonstrated to improve survival in patients with an advanced primary melanoma such as this. Following discussion, Mr HG chose not have a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).

Humans↗