Local researchers make smartphone app to track skin cancer

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BURNABY (NEWS1130) – Tracking the growth of odd moles and blemishes just got easier, thanks to a Burnaby-based company.

A team of scientists from UBC and SFU have created a smartphone app and database for MetaOptima to help people catch skin cancer in its early stages. A mathematical algorithm analyzes smartphone pictures of moles and looks for irregularities, which is a common sign of potential skin cancer.

Dr. Maryam Sadeghi, one of the app’s developers, says this technology is critical in catching skin cancer in its early stages.

“You can take images of your moles with your phone, and through the app you can go through a tutorial designed for skin cancer screening. Then they will see their moles in a list, flagging the ones with irregularities,” she explains.

“We want to empower people to find it early, it will increase chances of survival hugely: 15 per cent to 99 per cent. The most important thing is that they find it themselves and then they go and see doctors,” she adds.

She claims the app will help people catch dangerous moles earlier because by the time someone notices an irregularity with their eyes, cancer could have grown and spread. Sadeghi cautions people about self-diagnosing their moles, urging anyone who thinks they have an irregular skin condition to seek medical help.

The app is designed to be used with a small microscope fitting over a smartphone. Without the microscope, it can still document irregular moles to be shared with an online data base and local specialists.

The skin cancer app is still in the trial phase.

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