People should check their moles to ensure that they are not cancerous

The test, which involves people sending a photograph of their mole to doctors over the internet, can provide results on whether the mole is cancerous in less than 24-hours.

The trained computerised system, which is also supervised by a panel of dermatologists, is able to evaluate a photograph of a mole to see whether there are any characteristics consistent with previous cases of cancer.

The computer will then let the user know their results through a simple traffic light approach, green is normal, amber is borderline and red is potentially cancerous. Those who receive an amber or red response are then advised to seek medical advice.

It is hoped that the new test will mean that more people are able to detect cancerous moles before it is too late.

Professor Rino Cerio, consultant Dermatologist and a Professor in Dermatopathology, said, ‘This innovative technology has the potential to vastly increase early detection, saving thousands of lives that would otherwise have been lost to this very treatable skin cancer.’

Bruce Murray, Director at Moletest, explains more about the new service in the following YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs043K4HD6A

Prices for the mole test start at £39.95.

By Lauren King