There’s an app for that…and it could save your life

As is the saying nowadays, “there’s an app for that”, a Dutch development team has created an app that can detect cancerous moles with 90 per cent accuracy.

SkinVision is an app that can monitor and identify signs of skin cancer and, unlike other similar apps, it could be the most scientifically accurate.

A user simply needs to take a photo of their mole or suspicious spot and SkinVision will scan its database of 4,000 images using an algorithm to assess the spot’s risk.

Although it shouldn’t replace legitimate medical advice, it could be useful in between visits to the skin doctor, or at the very least, bring awareness to the importance of being properly checked out for skin cancer.

We lead the world in skin cancer diagnosis, with 50 per cent of us having at least one by the time we are 70. Apps such as SkinVision may become so accurate that, with more testing, could eliminate the need to visit a doctor, meaning better access to health care in areas where we need it most, i.e. rural and indigenous communities.

The algorithm was developed by a team of board-certified dermatologists, including Kostas Konstantinos and Cristina Cotruță, mathematicians and image analysis experts.

Have you or someone close to you been told you have skin cancer? Would you use this technology? How would it change your life? Tell us below.