WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- MelaFind -- a device that
creates digital images of suspicious skin growths and compares them
to a database of thousands of scans to analyze for signs of
melanoma skin cancer -- has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
The non-invasive diagnostic can help doctors decide whether to
biopsy skin growths in their early stages, when skin cancer is
nearly 100 percent curable, device maker Mela Sciences said in a
news release.
Melanoma, if not caught in its earliest stages, is the deadliest
form of skin cancer. It accounts for about 75 percent of skin
cancer deaths, the company said.
While the new technology can recommend to doctors whether to
perform a biopsy, it is
not intended to confirm a clinical diagnosis of melanoma,
Mela said.
The company is based in Irvington, N.Y.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about
melanoma.