Cancer charity welcomes new smartphone app for melanoma patients

Researchers are developing a smartphone app to help skin cancer survivors check if the disease has returned.

The app, being developed by the University of Aberdeen, will help people previously treated for melanoma examine their skin regularly to reduce their anxiety and help catch any recurrence of the disease.

A built-in AI chatbot will enable users to upload images and information about any worrying skin changes, so concerns can be triaged and quickly dealt with by healthcare professionals.

The University of Aberdeen has already successfully trialled a tablet app, called Asica, with a group of patients who had previously been successfully treated for melanoma.

A team will use £421,000 funding from Cancer Research UK to develop an enhanced version of the Asica app so users can check their skin every month.

It is estimated about 17,500 people are diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in the UK every year.

Primary school teacher Adele Hughes, who was diagnosed with melanoma a month before her 40th birthday and then successfully treated for the disease, said the app would come as a relief to people worried about a recurrence.

Adele Hughes welcomed the project Adele Hughes

The mother-of-two from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, said: “This project represents a fantastic initiative for individuals like myself who have experienced melanoma and continually navigate the possibility of its recurrence.

“This app not only aims to relieve anxiety by providing access to professional healthcare support when necessary, but it also holds the potential to save numerous lives. Its proactive approach could significantly enhance the well-being of those affected by this condition.”

After six surgeries and 18 cycles of immunotherapy, she has now been cancer-free for three years, but lives with the awareness that the cancer could return and has regular surveillance scans and check-ups every six months at Albyn Hospital in Aberdeen.

The new app will be developed and tested with up to 50 melanoma survivors and about 20 healthcare professionals.

The study team would like to hear from people in the region who have been treated for melanoma in the last five years and healthcare professionals interested in taking part who can get in touch via asica@abdn.ac.uk to find out more.

Professor Peter Murchie, lead of the academic primary care research group at the University of Aberdeen, said: “Melanoma can return, and we know the quicker recurrence is diagnosed, the more likely treatment is to be successful.

“If melanoma survivors check their total skin once per month, they are more likely to spot recurrence or if a new melanoma has appeared. They can then get medical attention at the earliest stage.

“We believe this technology will not only be reassuring for patients (and) help them receive any treatment they need quickly, but will also be more efficient, resulting in fewer NHS appointments, lower costs and less travel for patients.

“AI will never replace the need for human healthcare professionals in diagnosing cancer but can be of great support and reassurance for patients and in directing them to healthcare professionals when needed.”

Dr Catherine Elliott, director of research at Cancer Research UK, said: “We are delighted to support this innovative research which aims to use emerging technologies to ensure the best possible future for those who have already experienced the devastating impact of a cancer diagnosis.”