Skin cancer phone apps are unreliable at detecting suspicious moles

Skin cancer detection apps on smart phones do not not provide adequate protection to the public experts have warned after a review of the evidence found poor and variable performance. The review in The BMJ set out to examine the validity and findings of studies looking at the accuracy of algorithm based artificially intelligent (AI) smartphone apps that offer the potential for earlier detection and treatment of suspicious moles. The World Health Organization estimates between 2 and 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year, but survival is high if melanoma is spotted early, which makes prompt detection and