Melanoma Monitor
Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is curable if you
notice it early enough-when a mole on your body first changes in
appearance. But that's not so easy if the mole is on your back, or if you
have a lot of them.
A "melanoma monitor" being developed at the University of
Rochester's Center for Future Health may be able to watch your moles for
you. A set of home digital cameras-in the shower, for example-would
periodically take pictures of your body. A computer would compare images
over time and alert you if it detected a change. Present software can
detect changes on a human arm. Rochester computer scientist Kiriakos N.
Kutulakos estimates full-body versions could be in doctors' offices in five
years, and in the home in 10.
