Survival Increase Signs of Skin Cancer with Mobile App Detect it yourself

Do-It-Yourself: Detect skin cancer signals with mobile app

More and more people worldwide are suffering from skin cancer. In Germany too, the number of patients has risen sharply in recent years. As with other cancers, the earliest possible diagnosis is important for successful treatment. In the future, an app could be used to detect signs of skin cancer at an early stage.

Number of skin cancer diseases is increasing

According to experts, the incidence of skin cancer has been steadily rising for decades. Differences are the so-called black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) and the bright skin cancer (also called white skin cancer). According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), two to three million new cases of light skin cancer and more than 250,000 new cases of malignant melanoma occur worldwide each year, reports the German Cancer Society. "If skin cancer is recognized early, there are basically very high chances of recovery for all species," the experts write on their website. An app that is currently being developed may be helpful in diagnosing in the future.

If skin cancer is detected early, there are good chances of recovery. In the future, an app could help diagnose. This should be used to detect signs of the disease in the Do-It-Yourself procedure. (Image: glisic_albina / fotolia.com)

Diseases often preventable

"This type of cancer could be avoided very easily: through proper UV protection and the avoidance of sunbeds," warns the German Cancer Aid on their Internet portal.

The main reason for the development of skin cancer is above all too much UV light and hereditary predispositions.

In particular, children should be protected from too much sun to reduce the risk of illness.

When sunscreen, it depends on the skin type. The lighter the skin, the more protection is needed.

Body scan with the smartphone

If it nevertheless comes to a disease, it is important to recognize them as early as possible in order to increase the chances of recovery. Therefore, it is advisable to go regularly to the skin cancer investigation.

In the future you can see signs of the disease but possibly even at home.

As the Australian-New Zealand University Network / Institute Ranke-Heinemann reports in a statement, Australian scientists are working to develop a worldwide new technology that automates the skin self-examination.

According to the information, it should allow anyone to perform a scan-mapping of their birthmarks and lesions at home using a smartphone.

In a project of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the Queensland University of Technology, headed by Dr. Ing. Anders Eriksson, Artificial Intelligence is being used to develop an app that can diagnose skin cancer itself.

To do this, patients use their smartphone to perform a complete body scan at home.

Changes of birthmarks

"The technology we are developing makes it possible for anyone to do a full body scan on a smartphone by taking a large number of high-resolution photos," explains Dr. Eriksson.

"The most important indicator of an early diagnosis is a change in the appearance of birthmarks and lesions," says the expert.

"The images are sent to a server that processes them and within minutes a complete 3D reconstructions of the individual body are sent back. Every birthmark and every lesion is recorded on this reconstruction, "says the researcher.

"These are automatically analyzed, assessed and compared to previous scans. If a birthmark or lesion changes, this is an early warning sign and the app then recommends contacting a skin cancer specialist as soon as possible so treatment can start quickly. "

Discover disease at an early stage

According to Dr. Eriksson gives this technology people the opportunity to discover skin cancer at an early stage.

For this purpose, monthly screenings must be performed, but only a fraction of the costs that would be incurred for a medical examination.

"About 30 new skin cancer diagnoses are made daily in Australia. An early discovery is very important for the prognosis, because the mortality is directly related to the depth of the skin cancer, which in turn depends on how long the cancer could spread undetected. Eriksson.

Increase survival in skin cancer

"This technology, once fully developed, can increase the survival rate of skin cancer," says the scientist.

"We know that if discovered early, the 5-year survival rate is over 90 percent. For later stages, this survival rate falls below 50 percent. And if the skin cancer has attacked other parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is only about 20 percent, "explains the project manager.

"The best way to detect skin cancer today is for the patient to pay attention to their birthmarks and lesions. This is supplemented by a medical examination. "

Although research and the project are still in their infancy, Dr. Eriksson expects the new technology to be developed within the next three years. (Ad)