May is Melanoma Awareness Month. If you think moles are harmless, think again. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, responsible for approximately 75% of skin cancer fatalities. There are an estimated 130,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in the U.S. every year. Every hour, one person in the U.S. dies of melanoma and 15 people are diagnosed with the disease, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
And now there is a high-tech way that has been developed to diagnose cancerous moles. Melafind is pioneering medical technology as the world’s first dermatologic analysis system that sees below the skin’s surface to objectively evaluate clinically atypical pigmented skin lesions and classify them based on the level of 3-dimensional morphological disorganization from under the skin.
Many people don’t realize that melanoma is the fastest growing cancer in the United States. For many years when an individual had a mole that had one of the “ABCDs,” they would have to conduct a biopsy to determine if the mole was cancerous.
Recently, this wonderful technology has come out that has revolutionized the world of dermatology in regards to moles. MelaFind is a tool that dermatologists can now use to detect melanoma fast and easily. It takes an image of the mole and compares it to a database of many other regular and cancerous moles to determine if the mole is something that should cause concern.
This technology is becoming more and more prevalent in the world of dermatology. It is pain-free and the results are ready in minutes. It shows how deep the mole is, classifies it, compares to other moles, and many other things. It shows a number that is compared to many other moles.
For example, I had my moles checked using MeleFind. My number was M:0.654. The dermatologist had told me not to be worried because generally above 1.5 is a cause for concern. This technology is excellent and has made things easier for both the dermatologist, and the patient.
Dr. Travis Kidner is an oncologist in Beverly Hills, CA
The FDA has approved MelaFind Pre-Market Approval application for use in the United States. Also, MELA Sciences has also been granted CE Mark approval for sal of MelaFind in the European Union. It is intended for use on clinically atypical cutaneous pigmented lesions with one or more clinical or historical characteristics of melanoma, excluding those with a clinical diagnosis of melanoma or likely melanoma. It is only for use by physicians who are trained in the clinical diagnosis and management of skin care (e.g. dermatologists) who have also completed a training program on how to appropriately use MelaFind. “High Disorganization” as a result indivates lesions that should be considered for biopsy.
Melafind is indicated only for use on lesions with a diameter between 2 mm and 22 mm. Some of the specials of Melafind include: An illuminator that shines light of 10 different specific wavelengths, including near infrared bands, a lens system composed of 9 elements that creates multi-spectral data of the light scattered back from the lesions, and a photon (light) sensor. The automatic data analysis algorithms are very complex, and are used to accurately give results.
www.melasciences.com/melafind and www.melafind.com
For more information, call 855-635-2345
