Skin cancer and artificial intelligence.
SKIN BIOPSIES CAN BE PAINFUL. In this context, researchers are developing a low-cost handheld device that may eliminate about half of all skin biopsies, providing rapid diagnoses for skin lesions.
Unfortunately, our current management strategies concerning skin lesions are suboptimal: Biopsies have recently grown approximately four times faster than the number of cancers detected. For every 30 biopsies, we will find one cancer.
The scope of the problem is vast: Skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. In the United States, one in five of us will develop skin cancer by age 70. That means more than two people are diagnosed with skin cancer every hour.
Many have had at least five sunburns, doubling their risk for melanoma, a hazardous form of skin cancer. Caught early, however, the five-year survival chance is 99 percent. The five-year survival for all stages combined of melanoma is 94 percent.
Skin cancer: Artificial intelligence (AI) for detection
Imagine a world in which one could use a cheap handheld device to diagnose skin cancer, with a halving of the rate of unnecessary biopsies.
That is the promise Stevens Institute of Technology (USA) researchers offer. They hope their device will allow primary care clinicians easy access to laboratory-grade cancer diagnostics.
The new device uses high-resolution millimeter-wave imaging (such as we find in airport security scanners) to scan an individual’s skin. Here’s the thing: Health tissue reflects these rays differently than cancerous tissue.
Millimeter-wave rays harmlessly penetrate about 2 millimeters into a human’s skin, offering a clear 3-dimensional map of scanned lesions.
The researchers used algorithms to fuse signals captured by multiple antennae into a single ultrahigh-bandwidth image. They offer their results of examining 71 patients with a tabletop device.
The device could identify cancer with 97 percent sensitivity and 98 percent specificity.
The former means that if cancer was present, the device said it was; the latter means that if no cancer was present, the device said no cancer was present. This rate is comparable to outcomes in the best hospitals using current technology (a magnifying dematoscope).
And the kicker? The new approach allows results to be available within seconds. The researchers believe they will have a smaller device in the field within two years, with a price as low as US$100.
Thank you for joining me.
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
