Raman skin lesion analyser presented at New Zealand's Melanoma Mini-Summit

Shortage of public dermatologists in New Zealand

Before introducing the skin lesion analyser developed by Michel Nieuwoudt and Cather Simpson, Dr Paul Jarret highlighted the poor provision and access to public dermatologists in New Zealand. Long wait times and facilities located only in Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga set the context for poor access to accurate skin cancer diagnosis for many New Zealanders.

At the 2024 Melanoma Mini-Summit, Dr Jarret presented data on the performance of the first LumAssure prototype. The clinical study run by the University of Auckland at its clinical research center, Middlemore Hospital and Manukau Super Clinic. The results, which were also published in a Journal of Investigate Dermatology, Innovations paper, showed that the prototype not only correctly detected all of the cancers tested in the study, but it would also reduce unnecessary biopsies by 50% (see image of an excisional biopsy).

Phone cameras are the main source of referrals.

Many doctors in remote areas only have the means to take a photo of a suspicious skin lesion on their phone and ask whether a referral is necessary.

Not wanting to unnecessarily refer a patient to a specialist that is 100's of kilometers away, many clinicians will source a second opinion on a suspicious skin lesion by using their smartphone. The problem with this technique is that the picture can be blurry or poorly lit, making the lesion difficult to assess. A more objective method of remote diagnosis is needed to inform decisions for biopsy and referrals.