LONDON — A simple home test to
check suspected skin cancer has been unveiled by doctors. For a
£40 fee, experts will analyse pictures of skin defects sent to a
website and e-mail results within a day.
A traffic light system judges the severity of the mole. Red
would signify probable malignance, amber to show it could be
cancerous and green stands for almost certainly harmless.
Doctors hope the test will lead to earlier diagnosis of
malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer which
affects more than 10,300 a year in Britain alone, the Daily Mail
reported.
Warning signs to look out for include a mole which may quickly
start to change shape, become darker in colour and grow larger.
Tumours can be treated through surgery as long as they are
diagnosed early but once the cancer spreads to other organs it
can rarely be cured, with just five per cent of patients still
alive five years after diagnosis.
Scientists from the Universities of Dublin and Moscow have
devised a computer program which compares submitted pictures to
more than 3,000 photographs of cancerous and non-cancerous moles
stored on the system.
Rino Cerio, consultant dermatologist at Barts and the London
Cancer Centre, said: “This test is not a substitute for a proper
medical consultation but it enables people to check suspect
moles in the privacy of their own home.”
“If they come back ‘red’’ or ‘amber’, they will know to seek
immediate medical attention,” he added. — IANS
Home test to detect skin cancer
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