Your smartphone has the answer, if you have developed cancer

Technology is ever evolving and every day we see newer technologies and discoveries which makes us wonder ‘How is it even possible?’ Kudos to those people who never fail to amaze us with their innovation and creative thinking. One such landmark period in the history of mankind was the invention of smartphones; making our day-to-day lives smarter and entertaining.

But now the horizons have expanded. There is a world of new opportunities and accessibility that our smartphones provide us with. One such life-saving application that has been added in the mobile app world is SkinVision which will help us with the detection of cancer in the early stages and help us kill it before it kills us. Owing to its features, the app is quite famous in America and Europe.

SkinVision lets you take photos of your moles to analyse for skin cancer risk. Save the photos to galleries and share them with your doctor to make sure you’re on top of your skin health. SkinVision was designed to help users keep track of skin lesions, or moles and provide instant analysis of photos of lesions, plus a risk category. If a lesion is considered ‘high risk’, the app will suggest nearby doctors. The app uses an algorithm that was developed over two years, using 4,000 images from 500 live dermatological evaluations – and has an accuracy of up to 90 per cent. The £2.99 ($4.99) app was designed with dermatologists, but the firm stressed it should not replace medical advice from a doctor.

SkinVision – Melanoma skin cancer detection app is available on Android and iOS platforms, and links a smartphones camera to an algorithm capable of detecting melanoma. A study published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology found that the app was 81% accurate in recognising skin cancer, bringing the average eye of a dermatologist to a smartphone. That could mean that certain people with a certain risk profile could be directly sent to a dermatology consultant instead of first being seen by a General Practitioner. If the app detects characteristics that could potentially indicate ‘abnormal or dangerous’ skin growth, it will display a warning. Medium and high-risk patients are then given details of nearby dermatologists and doctors through the app.

With so much convenience and access now at our fingertips, we should make the best use of these and keep ourselves healthy and abreast of all the risks that our body might be facing, and tackle them wisely.