Dr. Liebman on the Use of Digital Surveillance in Melanoma

Tracey Liebman, MD, assistant professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, NYU Langone School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, discusses the use of digital surveillance in melanoma.

Digital surveillance has widespread utility in melanoma, says Liebman. For example, patients who have atypical nevi will undergo total body photography. These images can be monitored over time to help identify melanomas and reduce biopsies for normal moles.

Additionally, dermoscopic monitoring through sequential digital dermoscopy imaging can be used to determine whether a biopsy should be done. If there are any short-term changes in the dermoscopic close-up image, a biopsy should be performed, says Liebman; this can diagnose melanoma at a very early stage, Liebman concludes.