Current algorithm based smartphone apps cannot be relied on to detect all cases of melanoma or other skin cancers. Test performance is likely to be poorer than reported here when used in clinically relevant populations and by the intended users of the apps. The current regulatory process for awarding the CE marking for algorithm based apps does not provide adequate protection to the public.
What does detect these deadly cancers? Demoscopy seems to be much better but that requires a trained Dermatologist, and even then it is not perfect. What dermoscopy does is alert the Dermatologist to do a biopsy. Is that perfect? Most of the time, in fact almost all the time but even then there may be a misdiagnosis, and that requires follow up.
Frankly most if not nearly all melanomas should be caught early but that is far from reality. Some is due to fear, some lack of care, some just ignorance. It seems that no matter how much education is done this disaster of a cancer persists.
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