13 Oct 2023 • Skin cancer detection using artificial intelligence (AI) software has rapidly improved, new research has shown, with the latest software reaching a 100% detection rate for melanoma. The study, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2023, assessed 22,356 patients with suspected skin cancers over a 2.5-year period.

As well as a 100% (59/59 cases identified) sensitivity for detecting melanoma - the most serious form of skin cancer - the new software correctly detected 99.5% (189/190) of all skin cancers and 92.5% (541/585) of pre-cancerous lesions.

Whilst the data is incredibly encouraging, the research team note that AI should not be used as a standalone detection tool without the support of a Consultant Dermatologist. Of the basal cell carcinoma cases, a single case was missed out of 190, which was later identified at a second read by a dermatologist. This further demonstrates the need to have appropriate clinical oversight of the AI.

The co-author, Dr Irshad Zaki, Consultant Dermatologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, also explains. "We would like to stress that AI should not be used as a standalone tool in skin cancer detection and that AI is not a substitute for Consultant Dermatologists."

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