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AI skin Cancer Screening Tool Detects Doctor’s Own Melanoma
LONDON – A new artificial intelligence skin cancer screening tool, recently implemented at King’s College London Hospital, unexpectedly detected melanoma in a doctor who helped roll out the technology. The case highlights both the potential and rapidly evolving reality of AI in healthcare, as the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) aims to become “the most AI-enabled health system in the world.”
The doctor, whose name has not been released, was involved in the initial stages of deploying the Skin Analytics technology – the world’s first AI legally authorised to detect cancer without a doctor present - when the system flagged a mole on his back as high-risk. Subsequent biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma. “it was a complete shock,” a colleague stated. “He’s a physician, acutely aware of skin cancer risks, regularly checks himself, but the AI picked up something subtle that had been missed.”
The incident comes as the NHS grapples with increasing demand for cancer screenings and diagnoses. Urgent skin cancer referrals have skyrocketed in the UK in the last decade, with over 17,000 people diagnosed with melanoma annually and around 2,300 deaths each year.A recent Cancer Research report revealed that only half of cancer patients in England are diagnosed within the NHS’s 28-day target.
Skin Analytics reports that polling of 2,000 people found 73 per cent beleive the NHS has a duty of care to use technology with proven benefits for patients, and 71 per cent believe regulated AI could help reduce wait times. Health minister Wes Streeting recently stated: “The AI revolution is here, and we are arming staff with the latest ground-breaking technology, so patients get faster and smarter care.”
The government’s 10-year health plan for England prioritizes AI integration into clinical pathways, though concerns remain regarding data security, data bias, and the potential for a lack of human empathy in AI-driven healthcare. The doctor’s case serves as a powerful, if unexpected, exhibition of the technology’s potential to save lives.
