The mum diagnosed with skin cancer by an app
... after her doctors dismissed concerns
A MOTHER discovered she had skin cancer by an app on her mobile phone.
Natalie Killian, 39, went to her doctor after the software told her to seek advice.
The app, called SkinVision, allows users to monitor any changes to moles by taking photographs and uploading them.
She was initially told it was nothing to worry about – but went back to her GP when the app continued to send her warnings.
She was eventually diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer which appears on areas exposed to the sun, such as the face, head and neck.
Mrs Killian had surgery to remove the mole on her chest in August and has since been given the all-clear. She believes the app may have helped to save her life.
She said: ‘If I had not tracked the mole myself, I’m not sure the NHS would ever have acted.
‘My husband Jason has been so supportive and kept me positive when I was worried about the worst case scenario.’ The graphic designer, who lives with her husband, 43, and son, Max, four, in Cannock, Staffordshire, said she had previously used sunbeds five times a week.
‘In my early twenties I was using sunbeds a lot, Monday to Friday I would go on my lunch break, for the maximum time I could,’ she said. ‘Back then no
‘Not sure the NHS would have acted’
one was really aware of the risks, there were no medical forms to fill in and everyone was using sunbeds.’
She said she stopped using them ten years ago after becoming more aware of the risks. After becoming pregnant with her son, she decided to monitor her moles carefully, and downloaded the SkinVision app.
She said: ‘I knew with my history that I should keep an eye on any moles I had.’ SkinVision was founded by dermatologists in 2011 and now has one million members. It claims to have helped to detect more than 15,000 cancers. Users upload pictures of their moles, which are then automatically analysed.
The app’s algorithm has been developed to check for irregularities in colour, texture and shape of the mole – which can all indicate cancer – and gives users a risk rating from low to high.
Members can also ask for an expert review, where it is looked at by a team of dermatologists.
If someone is at risk, they are told to see their GP for further examination.
Mrs Killian said she first noticed a small pink lesion on her chest in July last year and took a picture using the app. Then it said she was at low risk of cancer.
In January she noticed that the mole had changed in shape and size, and after tracking its progress, she was sent a message, telling her that the mole was medium-risk and that she should monitor it. For peace of mind, she visited her GP, who reassured her that there was nothing to worry about.
However, in May, she noticed more changes and the app said the mole was now high-risk.
She decided to seek a second opinion and was given an urgent referral.
She said: ‘It started out as a little pink spot but then it started to change shape and it became itchy.
‘I had been sent quite a few messages from the app telling me I should keep an eye on things but when the mole became high-risk, I knew I needed a second opinion. I knew something wasn’t right.’
Around 131,000 cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer, which includes basal cell carcinoma, are diagnosed in the UK each year, making it the most common type of cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.