Skin Cancer Detection With AI: How Intelligent Is It?
Source: Dermatology Times, December 2023
With artificial intelligence taking front and center in many aspects of our lives, will it be more prevalent in the dermatology practice than it is now?
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, with more than 9500 new cases diagnosed daily. One out of every 5 people is likely to develop a basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), or melanoma (or other types of skin cancer) before the age of 70. It is essential to catch skin cancers early to prevent disfigurement or loss of life. With artificial intelligence (AI) taking front and center in many aspects of our lives, will it be more prevalent in the dermatology practice than it is now? Will AI assist dermatology practitioners in detecting skin cancers earlier and faster than before? The answer is yes; ultimately, it will be a part of our future practice, but it is not ready yet.
Traditional methods of diagnosing skin cancer may be the approach of the past as AI tools providing assistance to the practitioner are becoming more prevalent. But how accurate are they? Will they cause any harm to the patient, and will insurance plans accept AI and even demand it? Ultimately, AI tools aim to aid in diagnosing skin cancer, including machine learning-based methodologies trained to detect and classify skin cancer using computer algorithms and deep neural networks. A recent analysis of AI based on a systematic review revealed the “robust potential of AI-based techniques to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes through the early identification of melanoma." The review also noted that “further studies are needed to assess the generalizability of these AI-based techniques across different populations and skin types, improve standardization in image processing, and further compare the performance of AI-based techniques with board-certified dermatologists to evaluate clinical applicability."