Skin Cancer Identification Using Multifrequency Electrical Impedance—A Potential Screening Tool

TLDR

Electrical bio‑impedance is a non‑invasive method for assessing skin cancers and other cutaneous lesions. The study aimed to differentiate skin cancer from benign nevi using multifrequency impedance spectra. Impedance spectra were recorded for ~100 cancers and 511 benign nevi, with ipsilateral reference skin, and the lesion–reference impedance relationship was used to discriminate cancers from nevi. The method achieved 100 % sensitivity with 75 % specificity for melanoma and 87 % specificity for non‑melanoma cancers, outperforming or matching general practitioner visual screening.

Abstract

Electrical bio-impedance can be used to assess skin cancers and other cutaneous lesions. The aim of this study was to distinguish skin cancer from benign nevi using multifrequency impedance spectra. Electrical impedance spectra of about 100 skin cancers and 511 benign nevi were measured. Impedance of reference skin was measured ipsi-laterally to the lesions. The impedance relation between lesion and reference skin was used to distinguish the cancers from the nevi. It was found that it is possible to separate malignant melanoma from benign nevi with 75% specificity at 100% sensitivity, and to distinguish nonmelanoma skin cancer from benign nevi with 87% specificity at 100% sensitivity. The power of skin cancer detection using electrical impedance is as good as, or better than, conventional visual screening made by general practitioners.