MoleMap Technology to Aid Early Diagnosis

Total Body Photography (TBP):
TBP creates a complete record of your skin and is widely used for the management of at-risk patients particularly those with a large number of moles. TBP helps clinicians identify new moles (up to 50% of melanomas arise out of previously unmarked skin i.e. not out of existing moles) and pick up subtle changes in existing moles that may have gone unchecked if TBP were not available. Several authors point out that TBP was the key factor in detecting melanoma in their high risk patients.

Every new patient that has a MoleMap receives TBP to create a record, or baseline, of their skin to help our clinicians identify new/changing moles that may be indicative of melanoma.

Digital Dermoscopy:
           
Naked eye view of a Mole      Dermoscopic View of the same Mole

Dermoscopy combines high magnification and high light intensity to illuminate sub-surface features and vascular networks of pigmented lesions – diagnostic feature that cannot be observed with the naked eye alone. The use of dermoscopy greatly enhances the diagnostic accuracy for melanoma i.e. more melanomas are identified using dermoscopy than relying solely on a naked eye inspection. Dermoscopy also helps reduce the need for unnecessary excision of benign lesions.

The diagnosis of melanoma via dermoscopy does require a high level of skill as some vascular features of melanoma are very subtle even to a trained set of eyes. This is why MoleMap draws on the experience of an international panel of dermatologists to assess every mole of each MoleMap patient. Dermatologists in New Zealand have undergone a minimum of 13 years training, which includes general medical training followed by specialist training. The New Zealand Dermatological Society has mentioned that there is a growing trend for some general practitioners to call themselves ‘skin specialists’, but they emphasis that this is a different sphere of experience when compared to a trained dermatologist.

Digital Serial Monitoring:
             
Dermoscopic images of a mole changing over several months: Diagnosis - In-situ (very early) melanoma

If there is one universal truth about melanoma then that is change. All melanomas change shape size or colour so having the ability to track moles over a period of time (3 months – 1 year) enables dermatologist to pick up changes that may indicate early stage melanoma. This process is especially useful for identifying clinically featureless melanomas (i.e. melanomas that look like a normal mole) that would otherwise be missed by a routine one off clinical observation.

MoleMap uses serial digital monitoring to track all moles. This not only helps identify moles that are changing but also those that are stable/have not changed. This can help aid the earlier detection of melanoma, whilst also potentially reducing the unnecessary removal of benign lesions.



Note: No melanoma surveillance programme can claim to be 100% accurate and as such MoleMap is not a complete substitute for a clinical examination. It is therefore important to continue seeing your doctor or specialist for regular skin checks especially if you are at high risk of developing melanoma.