Comprehensive Cancer Care

Imaging & Diagnostics

The Melanoma and Skin Cancer Program at UI Health integrates renowned skin cancer expertise with the latest mole-mapping technologies to screen for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers before they become life threatening. If melanoma is diagnosed and treated early, the chances of a cure are good.

Digital Mole Mapping

We use total-body photography to screen, monitor, and aid the diagnosis of moles, dark moles, lesions, and changes to the skin. Using the fully automated dermatoscope, we perform precise mole mapping and analysis of moles and spots. The dermatoscope magnifies suspicious lesions to help physicians determine whether a biopsy is needed, and any changes to the skin after the initial screening are automatically tracked and photographed for further examination.

Digital mole mapping supports diagnosis by:

• Providing immediate, noninvasive analysis of skin lesions using 70-fold magnification and epiluminescence microscopy for close-up examinations of the skin
• Digitally photographs and stores microscopic and macroscopic images of skin lesions for comparison over time
• Identifies new or changing lesions that have developed between regular scans
• Uses advanced software to measure borders, textures, and color variations of suspicious moles, then compares the data with thousands of melanoma images stored in the computer's database

Mole mapping is an effective diagnostic procedure for individuals with:

• Moles and freckles
• Asymmetrical pigmented lesions or lesions with irregular borders
• Lesions in delicate areas, such as the face, where the patient wants to avoid biopsy, if possible
• A family history of skin cancer
• Dysplastic nervus syndrome (atypical moles)