Health & Wellbeing

iPhone app provides skin cancer risk assessment

iPhone app provides skin cancer risk assessment
MelApp is an image-based risk assessment mobile app that assists in the early detection of melanoma
MelApp is an image-based risk assessment mobile app that assists in the early detection of melanoma
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MelApp uses mathematical algorithms and image based pattern recognition technology to analyze the uploaded image
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MelApp uses mathematical algorithms and image based pattern recognition technology to analyze the uploaded image
Uploaded photos can be stored on MelApp and saved according to date, label or risk so you can track changes over time
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Uploaded photos can be stored on MelApp and saved according to date, label or risk so you can track changes over time
MelApp risk assessment tool for skin cancer
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MelApp risk assessment tool for skin cancer
After taking a photo use the sliders to note the diameter and evolution of the mole or freckle
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After taking a photo use the sliders to note the diameter and evolution of the mole or freckle
MelApp uses the iphone's camera to take a picture of suspicious moles or freckles
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MelApp uses the iphone's camera to take a picture of suspicious moles or freckles
MelApp is an image-based risk assessment mobile app that assists in the early detection of melanoma
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MelApp is an image-based risk assessment mobile app that assists in the early detection of melanoma
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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.

To use the app, you take a photo of an unusual mole or freckle with your iPhone's camera using the zoom feature to ensure it fills the green box on the screen. The photo is then uploaded and evaluated against a database licensed from Johns Hopkins University Medical Center.

MelApp uses the iphone's camera to take a picture of suspicious moles or freckles
MelApp uses the iphone's camera to take a picture of suspicious moles or freckles

If the risk is significant MelApp recommends you seek medical advice and can refer you to a nearby specialist for proper follow up.

It can also store images in albums so you can track changes in your freckles and moles over time. Sliding indicators are used to note information such as size, color and how fast it has developed.

MelApp is available from the iTunes store and costs $1.99 - which seems like a small investment in your health. An Android version is on the way.

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2 comments
2 comments
Damien Woodi
That's the claim of a new application available in the App Store called Skin Scan (www.skinscanapp.com). This app allows users to take a photo a mole or other skin lesion with their phone, then it scans and analyses the photo to detect the mole's threat level. If the analysis finds any risks, Skin Scan directs users to the nearest doctors available in their area.
The analysis takes into account each user's age and sex and the app also allows you to store photos for periodic monitoring of the mole's development. Every mole scanned can be saved in its own folder to keep accurate statistics.
Lakshmi Balu
M-health is getting popular with smart-phones like iphones and others. The skin cancer is the dreaded disease. They say if more than 50 moles of any shape, size and and color on a body could suggest a cancer symptom. With this app, one could find out the early diagnosis of the disease. Thanks a lot for the share. iphone application development