A NEW phone app you can use at home could detect cases of deadly skin cancer.
It follows warnings that rates of the disease are at an all-time high in the UK.
Over the past three decades, rates of melanoma skin cancer have more than doubled, with UK cancer specialists predicting there could be 26,500 new cases of melanoma every year by 2038.
Currently, around 17,500 people receive a melanoma diagnosis each year, according to Cancer Research UK.
Melanoma is caused by abnormal cells in the skin growing and dividing in an uncontrolled way, often as a result of sun exposure or sunbeds.
It can manifest as changes to moles that were already on your body, or cause new growths on your skin.
An app – called Map My Mole – can be used to examine worrying skin changes and inform people if they need a hospital referral for a new or changing mole, or scaly patch of skin.
Patients who download the app are sent a special lens that they can attach to their phone to take a super detailed picture of their skin.
Photos are then uploaded on to an app to allow consultants to quickly review cases any GP is unsure about, providing results in a matter of days.
A paid version of Map My Mole gives patients three mole checks for £99, while some 915 private clinics have began using it.
But the app is also being trialled by three NHS GP surgeries in Devon and Cornwall, managing to cut skin cancer hospital referrals by 50 per cent, according to the BBC.
Dr Toby Nelson said: “We have reduced the onward referral from a GP to a hospital by over 50 per cent across those three sites.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Katherine Ryan reveals new cancer battle as she opens up about shock diagnosis” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6370326759112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“Prior to this, the GP would spend around 15 minutes of their time with a patient.
“Now it takes two or four minutes to review the mole online.”
Patients who contact a participating surgery about a mole or lesion can either get sent a lens by post and upload the photographs themselves, or they can come into the GP practice where an assistant will do it for them.
In the app, patients are asked a number of questions about their skin health and any mole or lesions concerning them.
This information, along with the photos, are then uploaded to the app allowing for a swift review by their GP.
The three GP practices involved in the trial are:
- Friary House, Plymouth
- Ruby Country Medical Group – Stratton surgery
- Ruby Country Medical Group – Holsworthy surgery
Dr Nelson told the BBC that many dermatology centres in the UK, especially in the south-west of England, spent a lot of their time reviewing skin lesions.
He said the vast majority of these patients did not have skin cancer and, if they were able to reduce demand on those services, it would free up time for consultants to see other patients with conditions such as eczema, acne and psoriasis.
He explained: “Patients with other skin conditions may find themselves waiting between six to 18 months, depending on where they are in the UK, before they get that initial dermatology appointment.”
Dr Nelson added he hoped the trial would encourage the NHS to commission use of the app in other areas of the UK.
Analysis by Cancer Research UK published last year showed that rates of melanoma surged from 21 to 28 per 100,000 people between 2007-09 and 2017-19.
The biggest spike was in the over-80s, with diagnoses soaring by 57 per cent since 2014.
There was also a seven per cent rise in melanoma in 25 to 49-year-olds, but experts were optimistic younger people are now taking greater precautions to protect their skin.
The rise is thought to be due to both the growing and ageing population, and a better awareness of the signs of melanoma leading to a higher diagnosis rate.