AI used for skin cancer checks at London hospital

Summary

AI used for skin cancer checks at London hospital BBCChelsea and Westminster Hospital said its AI technology has been approved to give patients the all-clear without having to see a doctorAn NHS hospital in west London is pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help check for skin cancer.Chelsea and Westminster Hospital said its AI technology has been approved to give patients the all-clear without having to see a doctor.Once photos are uploaded to the system, the technology analyses and interprets the images, with 99% accuracy in diagnosing benign cases, the hospital said.Thousands of NHS patients have had urgent cancer checks using the AI tool, freeing up consultants to focus on the most serious cases and bringing down waiting lists.The system conducts the checks in minutes, with medical photographers taking photos of suspicious moles and lesions using an iPhone and the DERM app, developed by UK firm Skin Analytics.The images are then transferred to a desktop computer for greater analysis before the tool determines the result.Patients with benign cases are then discharged without any input from a specialist, except in a small number of cases.Dr Louise Fearfield, said without the new technology "we wouldn't be able to keep up with the numbers of patients that are coming through as urgent skin cancer referrals"The hospital gets about 7,000 urgent skin cancer referrals each year, but only 5% turn out to be cancer.Consultant dermatologist at the hospital, Dr Louise Fearfield, said: "We wouldn't be able to keep up with the numbers of patients that are coming through as urgent skin cancer referrals without (the technology). "I don't think we'd manage and patients would be missed or be waiting and wouldn't be getting their diagnosis in a timely fashion."Jimmy Povey decided to get one of his moles checked using the AI tool after his brother Jeff was diagnosed with melanoma. Thankfully he got the all-clear.Jimmy Povey said because he got the results so quickl...