WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6, 2023 -- An elastic-scattering spectroscopy (ESS) device can aid skin cancer detection, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in JAAD International.

Danielle Manolakos, D.O., M.P.H., from the Gold Coast Dermatology Center in Delray Beach, Florida, and colleagues examined the safety and effectiveness of an ESS device in evaluating lesions that are suggestive of skin cancer in a prospective, multicenter clinical validation study. Patients with skin lesions suggestive of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers were assessed clinically by expert dermatologists and with a device using artificial intelligence algorithms comparing current ESS lesion readings with training data sets.

The researchers found that overall device sensitivity was 97.04 percent, with subgroup sensitivity of 96.67, 97.22, and 97.01 percent for melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma, respectively. The device and dermatologist performance did not differ significantly. Overall device specificity was 26.22 percent, and negative and positive predictive values were 89.58 and 57.54 percent, respectively.

"The ESS device is an intuitive, noninvasive, safe, and effective handheld device that may assist primary care clinicians in the assessment of clinically suspicious lesions," the authors write. "Proper use of this device may aid in the reduction of morbidity and mortality associated with skin cancer through expedited and enhanced detection and intervention."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to DermaSensor, which developed the ESS device used in the study and provided funding.