Skin Cancer Detection and Management

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, and Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world.

What is a melanoma?

A melanoma is the uncontrolled growth of the pigment cells in the skin.  It is a very serious type of skin cancer. Currently, the lifetime risk of an Australian developing a melanoma is about 7%, and this risk appears to be increasing each decade.  Melanoma kills over 1500 Australians every, and yet it is one of the most curable forms of cancer.  The most effective method of treating a melanoma is by diagnosing it at an early stage of its development, when the chance for cure by surgical removal is excellent.

What is computerised skin cancer detection?

Computerised skin cancer detection has been used by many centres around the world.  The system enables the doctor to visually compare the images from the current year against the images taken from one or more prior years, searching for changes in your individual lesions, or the development of new lesions.  This offers the doctor a way to document your lesions without having to rely on memory or history notes.

How is computerised skin cancer detection done?

You will be assessed by the doctor first.  Fifteen to twenty images of your skin surface and moles will then be taken using a high-definition digital camera, and the images stored in a specially developed software program. This procedure takes about thirty minutes.

What are the benefits of computerised skin cancer detection?

Computerised skin cancer detection has a number of benefits;

1. The images may be enlarged to fill the entire monitor screen, making them easier to look at.
2. The pictures are digitised and stored on computer disk and therefore do not fade, curl, bend or otherwise degrade.
3. Fewer unnecessary operations.
4. The images can be transferred to a USB drive or printed for you to take with you if moving interstate or overseas.

What do I look for?

Every person should regularly check the spots on their body, looking for ABCD;

1. Asymmetry - if the lesion was divided, do the two halves look different?
2. Border – is the border irregular?
3. Colour – are there many different colours present? Is the lesion jet-black?
4. Diameter – although a melanoma can be any size, a larger lesion (>6mm diameter) is more suspicious.

If you have any spots that have one or more of these features, you should have them checked without delay.

What are the limitations of computerised skin cancer detection?

It is important to emphasise that there is no computer program currently available that, by itself, can accurately predict whether a particular lesion is a melanoma or not.  Even the best doctor with the best equipment cannot detect melanoma 100% of the time.  The importance of looking for changes cannot be over stressed.