Lead Author Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, Highlights Unique Design of New DermaSensor Study

This study to assess the DermaSensor sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value was "a little bit unique in its design," lead author Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, said in a recent interview with Patient Care.® The lesions selected for additional evaluation with the device had already been selected to biopsy, plus, the dermatologists taking part were asked for the level of confidence in their suspicion for melanoma. The resulting concordance was significant. Hartman details the study findings in the short video above.

Approved by the FDA in January 2024 and intended for use by primary care clinicians, the AI-powered device uses elastic scattering spectroscopy to evaluate the cellular and subcellular characteristics of suspicious skin lesions, according to the company. Five spectral recordings collected in a single scan are evaluated by an FDA-cleared algorithm developed and originally validated scans of more than 20 000 lesions. The primary care clinician receives a reading that says, “Investigate Further,” indicating a referral should be made to a dermatologist, or “Monitor,” an outcome which could help rule out a majority of unnecessary referrals for benign lesions. DermaSensor is intended to detect melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, is assistant professor of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and associate chief of the dermatology section at the VA Boston Healthcare System, in Boston, MA. Hartman's clinical practice is focused on melanoma and general dermatology while her research interests are in skin cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.