FDA approves AI-powered device to help detect skin cancer
One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70. That’s why regular skin checks are important for early detection along with consulting a doctor if you notice any unusual lesions or moles on your skin. A family practitioner will often examine the spot and refer patients to a dermatologist if anything appears to warrant concern.
Now, a new, high-tech device called DermaSensor is helping patients and family doctors get answers more quickly and without those sometimes-unneeded referral visits. One Westmoreland County family practice office is one of the first in the country to use it.
“Once you understand how this unit works, and how the company was promoting it to family physicians, it was an easy decision,” says Dr. Kevin Wong of PT Family Medicine in Penn Township. “It is a unique invention that greatly enhances our ability to diagnose a condition accurately and timely. We have been using it as needed on appropriate patients in our office setting.”
Wong met DermaSensor’s Chief Commercial Officer Larry Anderson (who incidentally is a Pittsburgher) while he was exhibiting the device at a family medicine conference. The two discussed the unique nature of the technology and its upcoming FDA approval.
“I told him I’d be happy to get it into my office as soon as it was available,” said Wong. “After its approval, I was fortunate to receive the first commercially available unit in the country.” He says the device is proving to be very useful in assessing the risk of a questionable skin lesion being cancerous.
What is it?
DermaSensor is an innovative artificial intelligence-powered medical device that is transforming the approach to skin cancer detection. It particularly focuses on the three most common skin cancers: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. DermaSensor uses Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy (ESS) to analyze skin lesions by projecting light onto them and examining how that light scatters off of cellular and subcellular structures. Those scattering patterns help differentiate between benign and potentially cancerous cells.
“We have a fairly accurate diagnosis immediately,” Wong says. “If it says ‘monitor’, there is over a 97% chance of it being benign. If it says, ‘investigate further,’ depending on a scale of 1 to 10, the rating correlates with an increasing risk of cancer of either squamous, basal or malignant melanoma. With the ability to be seen very quickly by a family physician versus waiting months to a year to be seen by a dermatologist, the difference in patient care is obvious.”
How does it work?
In the clinic, a physician or nurse puts the tip of the DermaSensor on a lesion. The device then flashes a pulse of light and analyzes the spectral information of the backscattered light using an AI-powered algorithm. The device’s creators intend for it to be used in family doctor’s offices to help detect cancerous lesions that may currently be missed – or to rule out cancer and give patients an answer without having to book, wait for and pay for a dermatologist visit or unnecessary biopsy.
The FDA tested and cleared DermaSensor earlier this year saying it is safe and effective in clinical use. Studies show it has a high sensitivity rate in detecting the three common skin cancers that may be missed in routine exams. Early detection of skin cancers can greatly increase treatment success and patient survival rates, and Wong says this device helps identify suspicious lesions early, allowing for timely intervention.
PT Family Medicine has had the device for only a few months but results so far have been good, with Wong describing it as a quadruple win.
“For the patients and their satisfaction, it’s a timely evaluation and definitive diagnosis made at their family doctor’s office versus potential months or up to a year’s wait to get into a dermatologist’s office,” he adds. “Family doctors can be effective in treating their patients without delays caused by insurance networks and dermatologist shortages.”
For dermatologists, he hopes it can get patients needing expertise in to see them earlier.
“You don’t want to delay care for a patient with malignant melanoma, where delays can drop survival rates quickly,” Wong says. “Lastly, it is a win for insurance companies when they realize that timely diagnosis will save them money in treating cancer cases sooner and avoiding unnecessary biopsies.”