Teams of researchers in the UK and Austria have now shown that repeated computer imaging of skin lesions over time accurately and effectively identifies skin cancers before they are recognized by other clinical procedures.

Using sequential dermoscopy (where skin is repeatedly imaged over time) provides significant assistance in tracking so called “featureless melanomas”, that is, melanomas which are malignant, but don’t look to be malignant.

By tracking the computer images of moles over time, scientists can detect these melanomas much earlier than other methods.

By diagnosing melanoma at the early stages, sequential dermoscopy increases the likelihood of melanoma being found early enough to be cured.

In fact, in this study, more than 62% of the melanomas detected did not appear to be malignant, when they, in fact, were.

This technique can also be used to confirm that suspicious skin lesions are not cancerous, by tracking their appearance over time. If they look the same under imaging, doctors can rule out melanoma with greater certainty.

This represents a huge leap forward in the early treatment of malignant skin cancers.

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