An artificial intelligence system for potential skin cancer has
been conditionally recommended for use in the NHS for the next
three years while further evidence is collected, NICE has
announced today (Thursday 1 May).
The technology aims to significantly reduce waiting times by
efficiently triaging patients with suspicious skin lesions.
DERM (Deep Ensemble for Recognition of Malignancy), developed by
Skin Analytics, analyses images to assess and triage skin
lesions, potentially redirecting benign cases to non-urgent
pathways.
Healthcare staff use a smartphone with a dermoscopic lens
attachment (a high-quality magnifying lens used to examine skin
lesions) to take high-quality images of suspicious skin lesions.
After a patient has been referred from primary care into a
teledermatology service the skin lesion can be remotely assessed,
diagnosed, or monitored without requiring a physical in-person
visit. These images are then uploaded to DERM's online platform.
DERM uses an algorithm to analyse the images, examining visual
characteristics and comparing them to its bank of images of known
skin conditions. When suspicious lesions are found the patient
can be directed to a human dermatology specialist for further
investigation while people with other skin conditions are
reassured and offered advice.
With increasing referrals to dermatology services for suspected
skin cancers, early evidence suggests automated use of DERM could
approximately halve the number of referrals to dermatologists
within the urgent skin cancer pathway compared to using
teledermatology alone.
In the UK, dermatology services receive one million referrals each year from
primary care. About 60% are urgent referrals for suspected skin
cancer. Of these, only 6% are confirmed to be skin cancer and the
remaining 94% are either non-urgent or non-cancer cases.
DERM represents an important innovation that aligns with the
Government's health priorities to move "from analogue to digital"
by rolling out new digital technologies to benefit patients,
reduce waiting lists and modernise the NHS.
How DERM works
- For lesions identified as pre-cancerous or cancerous, an NHS
dermatologist reviews the case virtually and determines the
appropriate management plan.
- For patients with black or brown skin, an additional
healthcare professional review will take place during the
evidence generation period. This is because the incidence of skin
cancer is lower in these patient groups, and the use of DERM for
skin cancer detection is less certain.
- Patients whose lesions are identified as benign by DERM are
discharged from the urgent pathway and receive their results with
written advice from a healthcare professional.
- The technology is intended for people aged 18 or over. DERM
can be used with or without healthcare professional review of
lesions identified as non-cancer.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, HealthTech Programme Director at
NICE, said: "This recommendation represents an important
step forward in our approach to evaluating AI technologies in
healthcare, driving innovation into the hands of health and care
professionals to enable best practice.
“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.
“DERM is an example of how we can harness artificial intelligence
to benefit both patients and healthcare professionals. Our
evaluation shows this technology maintains diagnostic accuracy
while reducing the burden on specialist dermatology services. By
implementing this system within existing pathways, we can ensure
patients get the right care more quickly.”
Minister for Public Health and Prevention, said: "By embracing
the power of AI, this exciting technology could help us slash
waiting times—meaning that people with suspected skin cancer get
the help they need, or peace of mind, faster.
"Technologies like this one are a great example of how we're
shifting from analogue to digital, and this government is
determined to ensure that NHS patients are among the first to
access the cutting-edge of healthcare.
"Our National Cancer Plan will transform the way we approach this
disease, improving care and bringing this country's cancer
survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the
world."
NHS national director of transformation Dr Vin Diwakar
said: “We know that AI is vital for the NHS to deliver
reduced waiting times and faster diagnoses for patients, which is
why the health service plays such a vital role in supporting
technologies like DERM by funding pilots and research, which can
then be put forward to NICE for consideration.
“We welcome this recommendation and we are excited to support
further evidence gathering over the next three years.”
The technology will be used by the NHS for the next three years
while further evidence is generated. Once the evidence generation
period is complete, a NICE committee will reconsider the evidence
and publish new guidance.
ENDS
About the guidance
- The guidance will be available at http://www.nice.org.uk/HTE24
from 00:01 BST on Thursday 1 May 2025.
- An embargoed copy is available to download here:
https://dmscdn.vuelio.co.uk/publicitem/b2fe8255-7d9c-4e89-84c4-99c7cd049f88
