New Camera Spots Melanomas

A hand-held magnifying camera is expected to save thousands of Australians from life-threatening melanoma skin cancers by spotting them before they dig in deep.

The Australian-made device, launched yesterday by federal Science Minister Peter McGauran, will help doctors identify melanomas early, greatly reducing the risk of death.

Detected early, melanoma can be cured in almost all cases. But if detection is left too late, the survival rate drops to 59 per cent.

The device, called SolarScan, takes a magnified picture of a suspicious mole or blemish and measures its size, shape, colour and regularity.

This can then be compared with a database of melanomas to help a doctor diagnose skin cancer. Or it can be compared against a second picture taken later to see if the mole has changed.

Age, 8 May