Insights, Advantages, and Barriers of Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Dermatology for the Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review

Teledermatology is employed in the diagnosis and follow-up of skin cancer and its use was intensified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, demographic changes result in an overall increase in non-melanoma skin cancer and skin precancerous lesions. The aim of this study was to el...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancers 2024-01, Vol.16 (3), p.578
Main Authors: Nikolakis, Georgios, Vaiopoulos, Aristeidis G, Georgopoulos, Ioannis, Papakonstantinou, Eleni, Gaitanis, George, Zouboulis, Christos C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Agreements
Analysis
Artificial intelligence
Biopsy
Comparative studies
COVID-19
Dermatology
Diagnosis
Epidemics
Greece
Histopathology
Lesions
Medical referrals
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Melanoma
Patients
Primary care
Skin cancer
Skin diseases
Smartphones
Telemedicine
Tumors
United Kingdom
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Summary:Teledermatology is employed in the diagnosis and follow-up of skin cancer and its use was intensified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, demographic changes result in an overall increase in non-melanoma skin cancer and skin precancerous lesions. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of teledermatology in comparison to conventional face-to-face dermatology for such lesions and determine the advantages and limitations of this workflow for patients and physicians. Research was performed using relevant keywords in MEDLINE and CENTRAL. Relevant articles were chosen following a predetermined standardized extraction form. Diagnostic accuracy and interrater/intrarater agreement can be considered comparable-although lower-than in-person consultation. Improvement of particular features such as image quality, medical history availability, and teledermoscopy can further increase accuracy. Further aspects of limitations and advantages (mean time-to-assessment, time-to-treatment, cost-effectiveness) are discussed. Teledermatology has comparable diagnostic accuracy with face-to-face dermatology and can be utilized both for the effective triage of non-melanocytic epithelial tumors and precancerous lesions, as well as the follow-up. Easy access to dermatologic consultation with shorter mean times to diagnostic biopsy and/or treatment coupled with cost-effectiveness could compensate for the lower sensitivity of teledermatology and offer easier access to medical care to the affected populations.
ISSN:2072-6694
2072-6694
DOI:10.3390/cancers16030578