Teledermoscopy system proves high accuracy in diagnosing skin cancer

Key takeaways:

• The diagnostic accuracy of teledermoscopy was 91% — nearly equal to the 93% accuracy of the in-office evaluations.
• Researchers hope this system can be used to help communities with limited dermatological access.

A new system called SpotCheck showed that teledermoscopy was equally as effective as in-person appointments in evaluating suspicious-looking skin lesions for skin cancer, according to a study.

SpotCheck is a system where patients can come into a clinic to have images taken of a worrisome skin lesion. These images are then sent off-site for specialists to diagnose remotely.

According to David Polsky, MD, PhD, of the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health, this system may specifically benefit patients who experience long wait-times to see a dermatologist or even do not live near a dermatologist at all.

“We know that patients who have less access to dermatologists tend to be diagnosed with more advanced skin cancers,” Polsky told Healio. “We see SpotCheck as a strategy to help mitigate that health disparity.”

To test this system, Polsky and colleagues conducted a study including 147 participants who were enrolled for dermoscopic evaluation through newspaper ads after self-identifying suspicious lesions — a feature of the study that the researchers say is unique compared with others.

“Our work is among the first to target skin growths identified first by concerned patients rather than primary care physicians,” Polsky said, explaining that this scenario reflects real-world experiences as patients are often the first to notice a worrisome growth.

Patients who saw the newspaper ad reported to a clinical research unit where they were administered a questionnaire concerning their skin cancer history. A study coordinator then captured dermoscopic images of the lesion and sent them to a remote team of specialists for analysis. A dermatologist then examined the lesion and performed a biopsy if necessary.

While the in-person dermatologist made their own diagnosis, the remote team was not made aware of the result.

Overall, 375 lesions were evaluated and 13 were determined to be skin cancer, two of which were melanoma. The researchers found that the diagnostic accuracy of teledermoscopy was 91% — nearly equal to the 93% accuracy of the in-person evaluations.

Out of 114 participants that completed a post-intervention questionnaire, one-fifth reported that they preferred the telemedicine method better than an in-person appointment and 89% agreed that they would feel more at ease if they could consult a teledermatologist than not be evaluated at all.

These findings may signal an opportunity for dermatology to continue tapping into the digital space, especially for underserved communities.

“Since the accuracy was comparable to being evaluated in person,” Polsky said, “we hope to take the SpotCheck platform to these communities.”

References:

• Remote Telemedicine Tool Found Highly Accurate in Diagnosing Melanoma. https://nyulangone.org/news/remote-telemedicine-tool-found-highly-accurate-diagnosing-melanoma. Published Nov. 14, 2024. Accessed Dec. 1, 2024.