It was John Rusoff’s wife who insisted her husband get a misshapen mole checked out by his dermatologist.
“The mole was about the size of a pencil eraser, top wise, and I ended up with a five-inch scar on my arm,” John said.
“The earlier we catch it, the better off that patient is. The later we catch it, the more life-threatening that melanoma is. Period,” says Dr. Sancy Leachman, director of dermatology at OHSU.
Enter the mole mapper. Doctor Leachman is spearheading the use of this free new phone app that does what its name describes.
“We are taking pictures of the body and the moles in those body regions and following them over time to see if they’re changing. And the idea is that really if you can put this power in the hands of every individual who has a smartphone with a camera, then you’re reaching an enormous number of people that way,” said Dr. Leachman.
The mole mapper reminds you to re-check yourself regularly. And researchers hope the app eventually can tell you to head back to the doctor to have a mole removed.
“If they have a melanoma and they actually pay attention, that will change. By definition, a melanoma is growing. It’s a cancer. It’s growing out of control,” said Dr. Leachman.
Since doctors spotted it early, Rusoff called the surgery to remove his melanoma a small bump in the road.
“It could have been a huge bump, you know, once again, if I had ignored it and it had gotten in places that it shouldn’t and metastasized, I could have a whole different story,” John said.
Mole mapper is available for iPhones. The app will help gather data from around the country to help melanoma researchers and, they hope, will improve the lives of people especially at risk for the deadly skin cancer.
The app was developed by Dan Webster, a Ph.D., and cancer biologist, to help his wife monitor her moles between visits with her dermatologist.
