Could Dermoscan be the first app to diagnose cancer accurately?

There are many health apps which claim to be able to save your life, so whenever a new one pops up, we’re more than a little sceptical.

However, a new app developed at the University of Houston, called Dermoscan, claims it has an 85% accuracy rate at investigating moles and lesions, telling users whether they are likely to develop skin cancer.

This 85% accuracy rate means that the app is better than most primary care physicians and on a par with specialists at diagnosing skin cancer.

While Dermoscan may be the first app that can actually deliver results, there is a massive downside in that you have to use a special magnifying lens attachment, which costs about £300, although cheaper attachments could soon be developed.

Professor George Zouridakis, who has worked on the app since 2005, told the Huffington Post that once cheaper attachments are available for the app, the tech could be used by more people, including the developing world. However, he said that before that happens the app will have to improve its accuracy rate, and learn to deliver fewer ‘false negative’ results.

Could this genuinely be the first app that can diagnose cancer successfully? Or are you as sceptical about this as us, and happy to stick with your good old-fashioned doctor?