Skin cancer breakthrough as AI that spots cases in seconds set for NHS rollout

19 August 2023 , 17:31

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AI could help diagnose skin cancer (Image: Getty Images)

An advance in using AI to diagnose skin cancer is set to free up overstretched NHS dermatologists to see thousands more patients.

The new technology, known as DERM, can identify 11 types of lesions, including common skin cancers, within seconds. As well as speeding up cancer diagnoses, the technology is expected to save busy dermatologists hundreds of thousands of hours, allowing them to see patients with other skin complaints, such as psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema and lupus, who get bumped down the list as cancer takes priority.

The AI works by analysing photos of a patient’s skin taken by a nurse, photographer or health care assistant with a special lens, reducing demands on dermatologists’ time. In a trial in a few hospitals in the past year, DERM detected more than 3,500 cancer cases while helping avoid 10,000 unneeded face-to-face appointments.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Lucy Thomas

It is now set to be rolled out across the NHS. Consultant dermatologist Dr Lucy Thomas said: “It is highly unlikely that AI will replace doctors... but if DERM can free up dermatologists’ time, all patients could benefit greatly from faster assessment and access to treatment.”

A hospital dermatology crisis means three-quarters of possible cancer cases are not being seen within the recommended 14 days, while 18,000 people with non-life-threatening conditions have been waiting more than a year.

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