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Updated: May 23, 2025
Quantitative Visualization and Detection of Skin Cancer Using Dynamic Thermal Imaging
Published on: May 5, 2011
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of 3D Total-Body Photography for People at High Risk of Melanoma
Daniel Lindsay1,2, H Peter Soyer3, Monika Janda4
1Population Health, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Importance:
Greater use of novel digital technologies could be associated with improved health outcomes and save health care costs by detecting smaller melanomas earlier (needing less treatment) or benign tumors (needing no treatment).
Objective:
To compare costs and health effects of 3-dimensional (3D) total-body photography (TBP) and sequential digital dermoscopy imaging (SDDI) vs usual care for early detection of melanoma.
Design, Setting, And Participants:
This prespecified cost-effectiveness analysis using randomized clinical trial (n = 309) data with 2 years of follow-up was conducted at a research hospital in Brisbane, Australia, and took a health system perspective. It included adults 18 years or older at high risk of developing a primary or subsequent melanoma.
Intervention:
The intervention group received usual care plus clinical skin examinations by junior clinicians at baseline and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months with 3D TBP-SDDI reviewed by a teledermatologist. The control group continued to receive usual care and completed online surveys every 6 months.
Main Outcomes And Measures:
Government health care costs, patient out-of-pocket costs, numbers of benign and malignant skin tumor excisions, and quality-adjusted life-years. Skin biopsy, excisions, pathology, and their costs were collected using administrative claims data. Quality of life was collected using the EuroQol-5D-5L.
Results:
The trial included 314 participants (mean [SD] age, 51.6 [12.8] years; 194 female individuals [62%]) who completed all of the study procedures (158 in the intervention and 156 in the control groups). Compared with controls, intervention group participants had fewer melanoma excisions, more keratinocyte carcinomas and benign excisions, and more biopsy specimens. Over 24 months, mean per-person costs (analyzed in Australian dollars and converted to US$) for the intervention group were $1708 (95% CI, $1455-$1961) vs $763 (95% CI, $655-$870) for controls, an incremental cost of $945 (95% CI, $738-$1157) to provide the intervention. Total quality-adjusted life-years per person were similar for the intervention (1.84; 95% CI, 1.82-1.86) and control groups (1.84; 95% CI, 1.83-1.86). The incremental cost per additional malignant skin tumor excised was $40 (95% CI, $34-$48).
Conclusions And Relevance:
Over 2 years of the trial, the 3D TBP-SDDI model by junior clinicians and teledermatologist review generated higher costs and detected similar numbers of malignant tumors than usual care in a high-risk melanoma cohort. Cost-effectiveness is a necessary but not sufficient consideration for implementation. Other benefits of 3D TBP-SDDI may arise once artificial intelligence clinician support systems are integrated, and more research is needed to understand factors associated with costs and whether there are other benefits of 3D TBP-SDDI.
