iPhone App Gives Skin Cancer Risk Assessment

One thing for sure is that devices are getting smarter all the time and especially cell phones.  This is actually pretty neat to where you can buy the software at the app store for $1.99 for MelApp and if you have any moles or growths you want to check out, you can send them on to be compared against those on file with Johns Hopkins as the company has licensed the use of their data base for this purpose. 

One thing for sure is that devices are getting smarter all the time and especially cell phones.  This is actually pretty neat to where you can buy the software at the app store for $1.99 for MelApp and if you have any moles or growths you want to check out, you can send them on to be compared against those on file with Johns Hopkins as the company has licensed the use of their data base for this purpose. 

The whole idea here is to potentially detect at an early stage and I think this might be a really good idea to at least check out and see what comes back as you can do it in privacy and see what the algorithm determines, and yes it’s an algorithm that is used for the process.  There’s no special hardware to add on and all you need to do is use the camera on the phone to take a picture.  This is not meant to take the place of a doctor and hopefully a lot of harmless moles will be analyzed and perhaps a few will lead to the consumer visiting the doctor if an assessment is not good.

“MelApp uses highly sophisticated patent protected state-of-the-art mathematical algorithms and image based pattern recognition technology to analyze the uploaded image. The app was validated using an image database licensed from Johns Hopkins University Medical Center”

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What is interesting here is that with all the talk of the FDA monitoring consumer health devices I didn’t find that the device was or needed their approval, but maybe with the new registration rules that took over a few months ago this might be one to register?  With a Class one that’s about all they need to do and I am guessing this is a class one?  I mention this fact as it’s gets to be a gray line at the FDA on devices on what does and what does not need to be registered these days. 

The parent company, Health Discovery Corporation is pretty interesting to look around their website as they focus on tissue and imaging and are located in Savannah, Georgia.  BD

Despite years of health promotion campaigns advising us about the dangers of skin cancer, the incidence of the most dangerous type – melanoma – has been steadily rising since the 1970s with around 130,000 cases now diagnosed globally each year according to the World Health Organization. Even if we no longer spend hours sunning ourselves on the beach, extended time outdoors playing sport or socializing can still put us at risk of this deadly cancer. Developed by molecular diagnostics company Health Discovery Corporation (HDC), MelApp is an iPhone app designed help detect melanoma at an early – and likely curable – stage using mathematical algorithms and image based pattern recognition technology.

iPhone app provides skin cancer risk assessment