Artificial intelligence and skin melanoma

Abstract

Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer, presenting typically with changing pigmented areas and usually treated with surgical removal. As benign cutaneous pigmented lesions are very common in all populations, it can be challenging to identify which areas should be cut out or left untreated. Delayed treatment in melanoma increases the risk of death, but it is not possible to remove all lesions. Dermatoscopy uses polarized light and can be used to help distinguish melanomas from benign lesions. Dermatoscopy images with a confirmed diagnosis can be used to develop artificial intelligence (AI) as a medical device (AIaMD) tool. This contribution discusses the utilization of AI in melanoma management and describes an AIaMD tool used in current UK clinical practice on more than 80,000 patients. This is a springboard for discussing the scope, risks, and mitigations for future AI use by all clinicians involved in managing people with melanoma.