Now skin cancer can be easily detected with a 'gigapixel' camera that scans the entire body to spot melanoma, the most fatal type of cancer.
Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina have developed the world's first 'gigapixel whole-body photographic camera' that would help them detect any signs of skin cancer.
The camera is developed from three dozen cameras combined into one. It can make high-resolution images of a patient's skin to help doctors spot melanoma and save lives.
"The camera is designed to find lesions potentially indicating skin cancers on patients at an earlier stage than current skin examination techniques," said study co-author Daniel Marks from Duke University in North Carolina.
Mostly, dermatologists examine either a small skin area at high resolution or a large region at low resolution, but the gigapixel image would allow them to examine both.
Marks noted that despite the resolution of the gigapixel camera not being as high as the best dermatoscope, it is comparatively better than normal photography, allows for a larger imaging area than a dermatoscope and could be used for telemedicine. This would could make the routine screening available to a larger number of people, even in remote locations.
The 34 microcameras are arranged in a "dome" to detect these abnormalities and form a continuous image of the scene.
The camera has a similar structure as a telescope and its eyepieces. It merges a precise but simple objective lens that produces an imperfect image with known irregularities.
The exposure time and focus for each microcamera can be adjusted separately and a computer can do a preliminary examination of the images to find out if any areas need future attention by the specialists.
The research will be presented at the Optical Society's (OSA) 98th annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona.
