New AI-powered device DermaSensor could help detect skin cancer

BOSTON - One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime but it can be hard to tell the difference between a benign mole and cancer during a routine. Now, a new AI-powered device oculd help.

When a patient has a mole or other spot on the skin, most primary care providers have to rely on the naked eye to decide whether it could be cancer. The FDA has authorized the marketing of a first-of-its-kind hand-held device called DermaSensor that uses artificial intelligence and light to detect common skin cancers, including melanoma, in patients 40 and over.

In studies, the device was effective at distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions. The DermaSensor device would be used by a healthcare provider on a suspicious spot or mole to help decide whether a patient can be monitored over time or needs to see a dermatologist.

In:
• Health
• Cancer

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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