Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026
Quantitative Visualization and Detection of Skin Cancer Using Dynamic Thermal Imaging
Published on: May 5, 2011
Reliability of telemedicine in evaluating skin tumors
C M Phillips1, W A Burke, M H Allen
1Section of Dermatology, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA.
Objectives:
To determine the reliability of videoconferencing technology in evaluating skin tumors, the impact of the technology on the clinicians' degree of suspicion that a skin tumor is malignant, and the recommendation to do a biopsy.
Materials And Methods:
Four skin cancer screenings were conducted at rural health care facilities in eastern North Carolina that were connected to East Carolina University School of Medicine. A dermatologist saw the patients in person at the local facility, and the same patient was seen by a dermatologist via a T-1 connection to Greenville, North Carolina.
Results:
The two physicians were in absolute agreement on 59% of the 107 skin tumors evaluated. There were five lesions identified by the on-site dermatologist as a probable or definite malignancy. The degree of concern about a lesion being malignant and the decision whether to do a biopsy were not significantly different, as shown by kappa analysis.
Conclusion:
The concern about the malignancy of a particular skin lesion and the recommendation whether to do a biopsy were not significantly affected by telemedicine technology.
