SkinVision is an awareness and tracking solution that supports individuals with the early recognition of melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and precancerous actinic keratosis. It is the first global certified skin cancer application available for consumers.

PROBLEM(S) TO SOLVE

There are three key problems that SkinVision is trying to solve:

  1. Consumers are not aware of the risk of melanoma and the serious consequences of a late diagnosis
  2. For those who are aware, there are no readily accessible tools to help them self-diagnose and refer
  3. There is a real shortage of dermatologists, especially in the UK, which means they are very costly to access and typically restricted to people in urban areas and those with private health insurance.

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Context

Melanoma is a very aggressive cancer and is often diagnosed very late – it then becomes very serious for the patient and very costly for the health system.

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Availability/regulatory status

SkinVision is a Class 1 medical device available commercially for direct purchase by consumers and via insurance schemes.  It has 1,200,000 users globally and a database of 3.5 million pictures of suspicious skin conditions.

Evidence to date

Results from clinical trials in partnership with Ludwig Maximilian University were published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in 2014.    A ‘real world’ global population study with 55,000 customers has also been conducted to understand the value of SkinVision to both the doctor and the typical SkinVision customer.

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Impact for user

SkinVision is a tool to raise awareness generally amongst consumers of the dangers of melanoma and the importance of early diagnosis.  It is priced at 25 euros for unlimited use, minimising ‘per use’ cost as a potential barrier to make early diagnosis easy and accessible for as many people as possible. The tool is designed to be easy to use by the customer in their own home. It is easy to take photos of the lesion in question and a risk assessment is generated within a few seconds. A SkinVision dermatologist makes the final diagnosis for ‘high risk’ images identified by the risk assessment within 48 hours- but users can share the photos with other dermatologists of their choosing if they desire.  Overall, the tool makes early diagnosis of skin cancer easier and more convenient, thus minimising the serious consequences for the patient and their family of intensive treatment and related side effects for more advanced skin cancer.

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Impact for healthcare system

Skin Vision allows people to be more proactive and enter the patient pathway much earlier in the case of skin cancer.  It is therefore complementary to the health system and allows dermatologists to focus time on those who need it most and also reduces the need for oncology treatment which is very costly, often with serious side effects and with no guarantee of a positive outcome.  There are no significant costs associated with the product, except for minor costs related to administration time to process reimbursement with insurers.

Overall value assessment

Overall, SkinVision has good evidence to show it:

  • Can reduce cost of healthcare through earlier diagnosis of skin cancer
  • Helps consumers get expert diagnosis more quickly and more easily
  • Provides a way for dermatologists to focus their time on patients who need it most, thereby reducing pressure on current workload