# Best foot forward: podiatrists’ insight and awareness of melanoma of the foot—a questionnaire study

## TL;DR

This study explores how often podiatrists encounter and handle melanoma on the feet, finding that most feel undertrained in this area.

## Contribution

The study provides new insight into podiatrists' roles and training gaps in identifying and referring melanoma cases.

## Key findings

- 67.6% of podiatrists review pigmented lesions.
- Only 57.8% feel comfortable contacting a patient’s general practitioner about suspicious lesions.
- 82.2% of podiatrists report inadequate melanoma training.

## Abstract

A significant proportion of melanomas arise on the lower limb, which may present to podiatrists. In this study, two-thirds (67.6%) of podiatrists reported reviewing pigmented lesions, and two-thirds (69.6%) reported identifying a lesion suspicious for melanoma. Only 57.8% of podiatrists felt comfortable contacting their patient’s general practitioner, and most podiatrists (82.2%) felt they received inadequate training in melanoma.