As the weather starts to warm, it’s that time of year to start thinking about your next skin cancer check.
But now potentially deadly skin cancers will be detected and treated even faster thanks to a new, world-first 3D imaging system available in the Westmead Health Precinct.
As it stands, Australia has the world’s highest rates of melanoma – a serious form of skin cancer that kills 1,300 Australians every year.
It is the most common cancer affecting 15-39 year olds and is highly treatable if detected early.
Westmead Hospital is now home to one of 15 of the state-of-the-art machines in Australia, which undertakes full body mapping in 3D – allowing researchers to investigate and track moles and skin spots over time.
The new 3D scanner could be a “game changer” for early skin cancer diagnosis and intervention, according to Westmead Hospital dermatology department head Professor Pablo Fernández-Peñas.
“We will have, in just one photo, the whole body scan, so we will be able to get a baseline photo of every patient, and then we can follow these people along the years and see if any lesion changes or grows and looks like it’s going to grow into a melanoma,” he said.
“Then as soon as it starts to change we can remove it.”
Professor Fernández-Peñas said the technology will be more comprehensive than the current method of documenting every spot with a handheld camera.
The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) is now searching for an initial 15,000 people to take part in the Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID) initiative.
The scans will be part of a database that will help develop an algorithm so cancer can be detected sooner using artificial intelligence.
Professor Fernández-Peñas encouraged people in western Sydney to register their interest now.
“We are ready to go as soon as everybody gets vaccinated,” he said.
Learn more and register your interest now at http://www.acrf.com.au.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.