[AI]AI’s role in helping to prevent skin cancer through behaviour change

September 22

In the past year, we’ve seen remarkable achievements across AI-assisted cancer diagnosis as more and more clinicians test, use and integrate AI companions into daily practice.

Skin cancer is no exception, and we expect AI diagnostic tools to be widely implemented across this clinical arena in the future. What does AI assistance look like for skin cancer? A 2024 study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine compared the performance of clinicians diagnosing at least one skin cancer with and without deep learning-based AI assistance. In an experimental environment, clinicians without AI assistance achieved an average sensitivity of 74.8% while for AI-assisted clinicians, sensitivity was around 81.1%.

What’s intriguing is AI helped medical professionals at all levels, with the largest improvement seen among non-dermatologists.

AI for skin cancer can impact behaviour change

Cancer is on the rise among younger people. According to a study published in BMJ Oncology, the number of under-50s worldwide being diagnosed with cancer has risen by nearly 80% in three decades. And, over the last decade melanoma skin cancer incidence rates have increased by almost two-fifths (38%) with Spain seeing a steady incidence increase of 2.4% during this time.

If detected early enough, skin cancer is easily treated and prognosis is very good. But busy lives and competing concerns mean fewer people are getting checked out, resulting in delays to diagnosis and treatment, which is dramatically changing the survival rates. Those who do, often wait to speak to a doctor. In fact, new research from Bupa, Attitudes Towards Digital Healthcare, indicates only 9% of people would immediately go to get a mole they were concerned about examined by a professional.

However, the same research found that if people were able to have a mole assessed by an AI-powered phone app at the time of their choosing, that percentage increases more than threefold (33%). This signifies emerging technology can have a significant impact on positive behaviour change in healthcare and improve clinical outcome of a potentially severe disease.

Bupa now offer an at-home dermatology tool

At Bupa, we see lots of opportunities to use AI and are exploring its use to enhance patient care, improve operational efficiency, and help our customers to live longer, healthier and happier lives. We know that people want their healthcare partner to be by their side, not just when they are sick, but supporting them constantly to keep them well.

That’s why we launched Blua, our digital healthcare service that’s available in over 200 countries. Blua provides access to three lifechanging healthcare innovations that drive convenience and accessibility. They are virtual consultations so that a customer can connect to a health professional from wherever they choose. Digital health programmesthat allow customers to proactively manage their health and remote healthcare services such as prescription delivery and at home monitoring equipment.

For customers in Spain, we offer an at-home dermatology assessment service through Blua. How does this work? Customers who’re worried about a skin lesion can take high resolution photos of it using their smartphone. Once taken, the photos are uploaded to Blua and using AI are compared with a database of millions of other images of skin lesions to check for signs of malignancy.

The tool’s algorithms are able to discern between 302 different skin pathologies. If the tool suspects that there is a cause for concern it will let the customer know to book a follow up appointment with a doctor so that it can be looked at further and preventative action can be taken if needed.

The future of healthcare means early detection

Digital healthcare, together with AI, is going to play a crucial role in removing the barriers that stop people from getting health concerns like moles checked out in a timely manner, promoting positive behaviour change that can save lives. This is why Blua is especially useful in today’s fast-paced world where convenience is paramount and virtual consultations and at home tests will empower individuals to prioritise their health, without the need to sacrifice their time.

(Photo by Nsey Benajah)

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