Collecting images of suspicious-looking skin growths and sending them off-site for specialists to analyze is as accurate in identifying skin cancers as having a dermatologist examine them in person, a new study shows. According to the study authors, the findings add to evidence that such technology could help to reliably address diagnostic and treatment disparities for lower-income populations with limited access to dermatologists. It may also help dermatologists quickly catch cases of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer that kills more than 8,000 Americans a year.
Their new system, which the researchers call SpotCheck, enables skin cancer specialists to remotely examine skin lesions using an established technique called dermoscopy, in which experts use a camera connected to a specialized magnifying lens to peer beneath the skin's surface. While previous research has explored telemedicine options for speeding diagnoses of melanoma and compared in-person and remote evaluation of dermoscopy images, the authors say their work is among the first to target skin growths identified first by concerned patients rather than by primary care physicians. This is important, the research team says, because most cases of melanoma are initially spotted by patients or their friends and family.
Led by a team at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, the new analysis used SpotCheck to evaluate dermoscopic images of 375 skin lesions from volunteers who were concerned that their .