An app spotted my skin cancer
I’d never really noticed the small mole on the back of my ankle before, as it was difficult for me to see. I had felt a slight lump there and thought maybe I should get it checked at some point but I wasn’t worried.
It was only after reading a magazine article about a woman who’d used a phone app to diagnose skin cancer that I became intrigued.
I found it hard to believe that something on your phone could be capable of such a feat, so out of interest I downloaded the SkinVision app and tried it out.
The app soon told me that most of the moles on my arms and legs were completely normal.
But when I scanned the one on my ankle – about half the size of a fingernail – the app gave a “red warning” sign and advised that I get immediate medical attention.
I still wasn’t convinced and thought I’d probably just done it wrong, but I sent a photo of the mole to my friend who is a nurse to be on the safe side.
To my surprise she said straightaway, “You need to get that looked at.”
So I went to my GP that afternoon and they referred me straight to the hospital for a biopsy. This revealed that not only was the mole skin cancer, but that I had a fist-sized tumour behind it. I was shocked and terrified. Just a few weeks after I first used the app, surgeons were removing a malignant melanoma – the most aggressive form of skin cancer. After that initial operation, follow-up tests revealed I also had pre-cancerous cells on five lymph nodes in my groin – suspected to have travelled up my leg from the ankle. These were subsequently removed, along with one behind my knee, and I needed a skin graft from my thigh to cover the hole on my ankle left by the cancer. All in all, it was a truly frightening time and I needed seven weeks off
work to recover. I wasn’t allowed to move for the whole period to ensure the skin graft took.
I had to rely completely on my family and neighbours to look after me, feed me and do all my housework.
Luckily, because the cancer was caught in time, the surgeon managed to get everything out and I was given the all-clear with no need for further treatment in February.
I’ve been told I’ll need regular check-ups every three months for the next five years. In fact, I had to have another mole removed recently and I’m waiting for the results of a biopsy on it.
I want other people to be vigilant. After all, if I can get melanoma, anyone can. I always use SPF30, have never used sunbeds and never go out in the sun long enough to get burned.
I also have no history of skin cancer in the family. If you have any worries at all, I definitely recommend that you try the SkinVision app – it saved my life.
I’ve been left with a vivid ankle scar but it’s fading – but that’s nothing when I think that I could have died. Hopefully, I now have a much longer life left to enjoy.
The SkinVision app (free from the App Store) uses fractal geometry, which looks for patterns in the outlines and dimensions of a mole that make it more likely to be malignant. A normal mole has a smooth, consistent edge, but a melanoma is more likely to have a jagged or irregular outline. Also, non-cancerous moles are usually one colour but a melanoma is made up of multiple shades. The app then classes the mole as high, medium or low risk and advises action.
CAROLINE JONES
■■Fair skin that burns easily in
strong sun ■■Lots of moles or freckles ■■Red or fair hair ■■Light-coloured eyes ■■A personal or family history of
skin cancer ■■A history of sunburn, especially
during childhood