Subramanyam Chaitra, Gahoonia Nimrit, Shachaf Catherine, Sivamani Raja
Integrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Hemet Global Medical Center, Hemet, CA, USA.
Melanoma Manag. 2025 Dec;12(1):2564060. doi: 10.1080/20450885.2025.2564060. Epub 2025 Sep 29.
Skin biopsy remains the diagnostic gold standard for assessing melanocytic lesions, yet its use is influenced by provider experience and scope of practice. This study evaluated patient attitudes toward biopsy, barriers such as discomfort and needle phobia, and interest in noninvasive alternatives.
A cross-sectional survey of 506 adults assessed prior biopsy experience, biopsy-related discomfort, recovery time, anesthesia pain, needle fear and willingness to pay for noninvasive tools.
Twenty-eight percent of respondents had undergone biopsy. Of these, two-thirds reported discomfort and 28% rated it moderate to high. Recovery lasted ≥1 week for 59%, ≥2 weeks for 18%, and ≥1 month for 7%. Anesthesia was moderately to very painful for 33%. Common concerns included pain, scarring, infection risk and prolonged healing. Among those with biopsy experience, 53% expressed strong interest in noninvasive diagnostics, and 82% were willing to pay out-of-pocket.
Patient-reported pain, needle fear and prolonged recovery contribute to hesitancy toward biopsy. Strong interest in noninvasive methods underscores the need to advance alternatives such as reflective confocal microscopy, tape stripping and electrical impedance spectroscopy, while future studies should examine socioeconomic and access-related influences.
皮肤活检仍是评估黑素细胞性病变的诊断金标准，但其应用受到医疗服务提供者经验和执业范围的影响。本研究评估了患者对活检的态度、不适和针头恐惧症等障碍，以及对非侵入性替代方法的兴趣。
对506名成年人进行横断面调查，评估既往活检经历、活检相关不适、恢复时间、麻醉疼痛、针头恐惧以及为非侵入性工具付费的意愿。
28%的受访者接受过活检。其中，三分之二的人报告有不适，28%的人将其评为中度至高度不适。59%的人恢复持续≥1周，18%的人恢复持续≥2周，7%的人恢复持续≥1个月。33%的人认为麻醉有中度至非常疼痛。常见担忧包括疼痛、瘢痕形成、感染风险和愈合时间延长。在有活检经历的人中，53%对非侵入性诊断表现出浓厚兴趣，82%愿意自掏腰包付费。
患者报告的疼痛、针头恐惧和恢复时间延长导致对活检犹豫不决。对非侵入性方法的浓厚兴趣凸显了推进反射式共聚焦显微镜检查、胶带剥离和电阻抗光谱等替代方法的必要性，而未来的研究应考察社会经济和与获取相关的影响因素。
