Objective: The objective of this review is to systematically identify and map published empirical evidence about overdiagnosis of malignant melanoma and potentially establish knowledge gaps.
Introduction: Over the past decades, the incidence of malignant melanoma has increased manyfold. However, the mortality has been relatively stable over this period. No new effective treatment has been introduced and there is no evidence supporting that screening effectively reduces mortality. Increased incidence and stable mortality might indicate some degree of overdiagnosis. Overdiagnosis is the diagnosis of a condition that would never cause symptoms or deaths if the condition had remained undiagnosed and untreated. Evidence support that overdiagnosis is relevant in many cancer diseases.
Inclusion criteria: We will include studies that has empirical data on overdiagnosis in malignant melanoma. To identify all empirical studies on overdiagnosis in malignant melanoma, our approach will be inclusive. We will include both qualitative, quantitative, any type of population in any age groups, and in any geographical location.
Methods: The scoping review will adhere to The JBI methodology and PRISMA-ScR. The search strategy will be developed in cooperation with an information specialist. We will search PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and PsycInfo for eligible studies. Reference lists of included studies will be screened for additional studies. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion. Data from the studies will be extracted using a standardised extraction form and results will be presented in tabular accompanied by a narrative summary analysis. Depending on the studies identified, bias assessment and meta-analysis will be conducted.