Stop Skin Cancer On The Spot: New Tools Aid In Diagnosing And Detecting Skin Cancer In Earliest Stages
Based on current estimates, 8,420 people are expected to die from melanoma this year. In an effort to reverse this sobering trend, dermatologists and the scientific community alike are continually developing new diagnostics, refining detection guidelines and providing patients with the tools they need to properly examine their own skin for signs of skin cancer.
Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology’s SKIN academy (Academy), dermatologist Ellen S. Marmur, MD, FAAD, chief of the division of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, presented the latest advances in diagnosing skin cancer and the Academy’s new detection strategies that emphasize the importance of patient involvement.
“There are some exciting innovations in diagnosing skin cancer that can help us detect skin cancer early, when it is most treatable,” said Dr. Marmur. “Even simple detection tools designed by the Academy that patients can use in their own homes can save thousands of lives.”
New Technologies for Diagnosing Skin Cancer
Dermatologists traditionally diagnose skin cancer by evaluating the skin using a clinical examination and, if necessary, a magnifying device and then biopsying any suspicious lesions. Now, technological advances in computers, lasers and other polarizing light sources are providing dermatologists with tools to enhance the evaluation of suspicious lesions and, in some cases, decreasing the number of biopsies needed for an accurate diagnosis. The idea is to hone in on suspicious lesions earlier and with more specificity.
One of the newest technological developments in the fight against skin cancer is the use of sophisticated imaging to scan and enhance certain features of suspected lesions. Similar to how a computerized tomography (CT) scan highlights areas of the brain for abnormalities, imaging devices can now work on the skin to help detect cancerous tissue.
Another exciting technology dermatologists are using to evaluate suspected skin cancers is a hand-held light device known as dermascopy that can look at the pigment of the skin through specialized filters that magnify and polarize lesions. For example, similar to how filters are used on cameras to create certain backgrounds, filters are used on this device to enhance certain features of lesions such as brown or red background colors that could indicate a melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer).
Dr. Marmur noted that one of the main benefits of dermascopy is the ability to immediately evaluate a potential melanoma based on its magnified characteristics, which could help decrease the number of biopsies needed to make an accurate diagnosis, or can push the physician to biopsy a borderline lesion that appears more suspicious with the assistance of the dermatoscope.
In addition, newer computer systems are being used in conjunction with hand-held photography devices to more accurately diagnose melanomas. For example, the photo device takes a digital picture of the suspicious lesion, which is then magnified on the computer screen for closer examination. The computer system also contains a database of characteristics of approximately 100,000 evolving melanomas, which the lesions are then graded against to see if certain features score high enough on the scale to warrant having a biopsy.
“With the improvement of early detection methods, we are finding an increasing number of smaller skin cancers,” said Dr. Marmur. “We know from experience that detecting skin cancer in its earliest stage means better cure rates and survival rates. Prognosis plummets as the depth of melanoma increases even by the smallest increment of one millimeter.”
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