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Essay On Melanoma Skin Cancer

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Abstract
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common form of cancer in the United States is melanoma skin cancer (2014). It is crucial that melanoma needs to be detected at an early stage to improve survival rates. There are current techniques such as a dermatoscopy that can help the physician to make a diagnosis, but it remains difficult and the need of new techniques or tools is required to improve the physician’s diagnostic abilities. According to cancer statistics, the incidence of melanoma has doubles and been increasing steadily in recent decades (2011).

MelaFind optical scanner and the affect in Dermatology
The most common type of cancer is skin cancer. The most serious type of skin cancer is melanoma. …show more content…

MelaFind optical scanner is an hand-held device that is the size of a blow dryer that has an image probe that contains 10 multi spectral images. After scanning over a suspicious skin mole the device evaluates multispectral images into 10 spectral bands, from blue to infared. Then these images are processed with a software 10 digital images in less than one minute. This displays 3D images of moles and sees 2.5 mm below surface of the skin. Also, this provides record to patients so they are able to track any changes in their mole. This device is used during a skin exam or mole check that dermatologist is not too sure of and also helps how irregular the growth pattern of the mole under the skin. Also, can determine if the level of irregular growth pattern is a low or high disorganization. Low disorganization meaning that there is a low level of irregular growth pattern but dermatologist may still want to remove it due to other additional information and a high disorganization is that there is a high level of irregular growth but it does not mean the mole is melanoma. MelaFind optical scanner is not used to make diagnosis only to provide additional information to

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