The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has conditionally approved an artificial intelligence system designed to identify potential skin cancer for use across the NHS.
It said the move is aimed at accelerating diagnoses and reducing pressure on dermatology services.
The system, known as DERM (Deep Ensemble for Recognition of Malignancy), was developed by UK-based firm Skin Analytics and will be rolled out over three years while further evidence is collected on its effectiveness and safety.
DERM works by analysing high quality dermoscopic images of skin lesions captured using a smartphone with a lens attachment. Once referred from primary care to a teledermatology service, patients’ lesions can be remotely assessed without the need for an in-person appointment. The images are uploaded to DERM’s online platform, where its AI algorithm compares them to a database of known skin conditions.
Patients with lesions identified as potentially cancerous are referred to a dermatologist for further investigation, while benign cases are redirected to non-urgent pathways with appropriate advice. According to early findings, this triaging method could halve the number of urgent dermatology referrals for suspected skin cancer, easing pressure on overstretched services.
Improve referrals
Each year, around one million dermatology referrals are made from primary care in the UK, with 60% flagged as urgent for suspected skin cancer. However, only 6% of these are ultimately diagnosed as cancer. By automating initial triage, DERM has the potential to streamline care and reduce unnecessary referrals.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, HealthTech programme director at NICE, said: “DERM has shown promising results in its ability to accurately distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous skin lesions, with evidence suggesting it could halve the number of referrals to dermatologists within the urgent skin cancer pathway while maintaining patient safety.”
The system aligns with the UK Government’s strategy to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in the NHS. Ashley Dalton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, described DERM as “a great example of how we’re shifting from analogue to digital,” adding that such technologies are critical to the aims of the national cancer plan.
For now, DERM will be used for patients aged 18 and over, with or without healthcare professional review for non-cancer cases. Additional reviews will be in place during the trial period for patients with black or brown skin, where evidence of the technology’s performance is less established due to lower skin cancer incidence in these groups.
At the end of the conditional period, NICE will review the additional data to determine whether DERM should be permanently adopted within NHS care pathways.
