The Food And Drug Administration recently approved a device that provides non-invasive skin cancer screening at the point of care, according to Reuters. DermaSensor, a privately held company, says its spectroscopy technology can use light and artificial intelligence to evaluate cellular and subcellular characteristics to assist clinicians in identifying the presence of skin cancer in suspicious moles or lesions. A study by the Mayo Clinic of more than 1,000 patients showed that the device had a sensitivity of 96% across 224 types of skin cancer, according to the company in a press release. In a separate study with 108 physicians, the device helped decrease the number of missed skin cancers from 18% to 9%.
What urgent care can do: The goal in using the point-of-care device is to prioritize patient referrals to dermatologists for further examination. Reuters reports the device will be priced through a subscription model starting at $199 a month.