Remote Telemedicine Tool Highly Accurate in Diagnosing Melanoma
Source: Specialty Pharmacy, March 2025
Collecting images of suspicious-looking skin growths and sending them off-site for specialists to analyze is as accurate in identifying melanomas as having a dermatologist examine them in person, a new study showed.
The findings add to evidence that such technology could help to reliably address diagnostic and treatment disparities in people with limited access to dermatologists, such as low-income or rural patients. It may also help dermatologists quickly catch cases of melanoma, which kills more than 8,000 Americans per year (J Am Acad Dermatol 2025;92[3]:600-602).
“A key advantage of teledermoscopy platforms is that community health workers can be trained to collect images and send them out for expert review," said senior author David Polsky, MD, PhD, the Alfred W. Kopf, MD, Professor of Dermatologic Oncology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, in New York City. “As a result, this technology could be used in the future to offer virtual triage services in walk-in clinics, pharmacies and community centers.”