Page 22 - Noninvasive Diagnostic Techniques for the Detection of Skin Cancers

Figure 4. Distribution of all abstracts by skin cancer type

Devices in General Clinical Use

Photography

This technique involves using photographic devices to capture surface images of the skin in
order to primarily identify suspicious and pigmented lesions in high-risk patients.

Available Literature
Our search revealed 51 abstracts on photography, representing 8.5 percent of the total
number of abstracts reviewed (see Appendix D, Table D1). With respect to the types of skin
cancer, 55 percent (28/51) pertained to melanoma diagnosis and 2 percent (1/51) to basal cell
carcinoma. The other abstracts were on a combination of skin cancers, or skin cancer type was
not specified (see Appendix D, Table D2). Of the 30 abstracts of primary studies, the most
commonly reported outcomes were test accuracy (n=7), and lesion characterization (n=5). No
current trials on photography were found in ClinicalTrials.gov.
A majority of the abstracts (60 percent) addressed information on photography features,
device variations, algorithms/image classifications/checklists, privacy issues, diagnostic accuracy
and training. Twenty-six percent of the abstracts included data assessing at-risk populations and
treatment settings. The remaining abstracts addressed information on longitudinal followup and
diffusion, as well as general introduction and view/opinion articles. Abstracts for photography
lacked data assessing effectiveness for different racial/ethnic groups or information on
safety/adverse events.

Description of Technique
The use of photography to capture specific suspicious skin lesions or the entire body skin
surface for monitoring purposes is commonly used in dermatology practices, but not typically in
a primary care setting. Three studies identified by our search assessed the utilization of
photography in U.S. dermatology settings. 19-21 Technical advances in and the affordability and
adaptability of digital cameras have rendered the use of film-based devices obsolete; a myriad of

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