Doctor urges app caution

eacoventry@fairfaxmedia.co.nz The launch of another phone app to diagnose melanoma has a South Canterbury doctor urging people to take caution with the device.

The SkinVision app allows the user to take a photo of a mole on their smartphone which is instantly assessed and a recommendation made.

Timaru skin cancer patient Llyn Bransgrove welcomed the development. The retiree was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2000 and gets any suspicious spots on his face, head or back treated with liquid nitrogen by his GP.

‘‘I go to the the specialist every now and again the liquid nitrogen keeps it right.’’

He thought the app sounded positive. ‘‘I’m just learning about my iPhone. I’ve not had it long, and I have to refer to my grandchildren to help me.’’

If the app had been available in 2000 and he had known how to use it, he probably would have, Bransgrove said.

Right now he feels confident in continuing to see his GP.

Promotional material for the European-create app states it is the only one in New Zealand that uses algorithms (calculations) ‘‘to provide a certified analysis of lesions based on fractal geometry’’.

Geraldine GP Kevin Moginie said it was one of about 40 apps which gave people some personal control over checking and preventing skin cancer.

He thought the value in the app was in raising awareness of the importance of regular skin checks and in encouraging quicker referrals to skin specialists but he also had some concerns.

‘‘They should be used with cau- tion and not as a replacement for a specialist assessment.’’

He would not like to see users worrying needlessly or, on the other hand, undergoing unnecessary surgical procedures.

In Australia the app had been downloaded by more than 100,000 people and was designed to ‘‘complement visits to a GP or dermatologist by providing the leading mobile solution for assessing and tracking moles, with an 81 per cent accuracy rate’’. Expert skin specialists had a 90 per cent accuracy rate of diagnosing moles being melanoma, but anything that helped people to manage their own health was valuable, Moginie said. ‘‘If it saves a life by raising awareness earlier, it has clearly served a useful purpose for that individual.’’

He hoped over time more technological advances would become even more effective and SkinVision would under go independent research.

Community and Public Health physician Dr Daniel Williams said skin cancer treatment was more likely to be successful if cancers