Cancer Society warns against mole app
The Cancer Society is warning people not to rely on a new mole checking app as a protection measure against skin cancer.
SkinVision, a skin spot checking app which launched here in February, has just partnered with Accuro health insurance to provide more than 30,000 members free access.
However, the Cancer Society is concerned it could put lives at risk if people rely on the app as a substitute for an experienced doctor.
Medical director Dr Chris Jackson recommends people concerned about their skin spots should consult their doctor.
‘‘The Cancer Society supports the development and study of new technologies for early detection and diagnosis of cancer, but only after they have been thoroughly tested,’’ Jackson says.
‘‘People could also potentially be falsely reassured a spot is OK when it it not, or even worse miss other spots that are potentially cancerous.’’
New Zealand has the highest rate of melanoma in the world, with more than 4000 Kiwis diagnosed every year and around 350 dying from the disease.
Accuro chief executive Geoff Annals says he wants to increase awareness of skin cancer in New Zealand.
‘‘We want people to take action with their own health,’’ he says.
Annals assures the app doesn’t replace health professionals but rather works alongside them.
‘‘By providing our members with this uniquely accessible skin health monitoring technology we hope to save lives and encourage our members and their families to become more aware of the importance of monitoring their skin health,’’ Annals says.
Chief executive of SkinVision, Dick Uyttewaal says launching in