Читать книгу The Future of Health - Roberto Ascione - Страница 23

A Dutch company has developed the SkinVision app, which is able, thanks to a photograph taken with a person's smartphone and through special algorithms, to detect some forms of skin cancer. Initially the application was focused on the detection of melanoma, but subsequent improvements and refinements of the recognition algorithm now allow the app to identify other types of cancer such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). There are many people in the world at risk of developing skin cancer (more than one billion every year) and SkinVision can be a useful diagnostic tool, mainly thanks to the speed with which it returns results. SkinVision helps many people assess and monitor the health of their skin in all areas of the body by helping them recognize early risk indicators. This allows them to gain valuable time on diagnosis and possible treatment. The SkinVision app makes it possible for a person to create a seamless connection with his or her dermatologist to continuously monitor skin lesions, thus building a personal archive that can be referred to during visits, facilitating the work of the dermatologist and improving the quality of care.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that forms in the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, known as melanocytes. Although it is less common than other forms of skin cancer, it is unfortunately among the most aggressive types. There are about 132,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed each year worldwide. There are also 3 million cases of other types of skin tumors diagnosed globally. Early diagnosis allows people with melanoma to get the care they need quickly. SkinVision is able to provide concrete help for assessing the danger of an irregular spot, mole, strange pigmentation, or birthmark with an accuracy in diagnosis reaching up to 95 percent. The company has built a portfolio of 1.2 million users worldwide and a database of 3.5 million images of skin areas, both suspect and benign.

The mission of the Amsterdam-based company is to empower everyone to make the early diagnosis of skin cancer more efficient, something that is extremely important for determining treatment options. The goal of Erik de Heus, founder and CEO of SkinVision, is to save 250,000 lives over the next decade.