SciBase streamlines biopsy decisions using augmented intelligence

SciBase, a developer of augmented intelligence-based solutions for skin disorders, has announced that its medical aid tool, Nevisense, helps dermatologists make correct and accurate biopsy decisions after comparing studies from Germany and the US. Personal Care Insights discusses the study’s implications with Pia Renaudin, SciBase’s CEO.

“Nevisense is a point-of-care medical adjunct that helps dermatologists make more informed decisions. It is an objective, non-visual technology that uses electrical impedance, together with an AI classifier, to relay information from underneath the skin’s surface,” she says.

The research, published in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine, compared the results from one study conducted in the US and a parallel study in Germany. Both studies concluded that dermatologists had improved biopsy decision accuracy when using dermoscopy — the examination of skin lesions with a dermatological camera — and Nevisense as a decision-support tool.

A biopsy is a medical procedure in which a small sample of skin tissue is removed for examination to help diagnose skin diseases. A biopsy decision is a medical assessment that dermatologists follow to decide whether a biopsy is needed.

Renaudin asserts that the information gathered by dermatologists using Nevisense is exclusive, vital, and unattainable by current assessment standards.

Increased efficacy of melanoma biopsy

Renaudin indicates that in the skin cancer assessment, the German study had an improved rate of biopsy decision accuracy, which refers to the overall accuracy of dermatological assessment, including the correct decision not to remove benign skin wounds. 

In the first step of the German study, biopsy decision accuracy when using Nevisense increased from 56.2% to 86.2%, leading to a 30% improvement rate. In the second step, the decision help tool improved biopsy decision accuracy from 78.9% to 86.2%, yielding a 7.3% improvement rate.

Dermatologists had improved biopsy decision accuracy when using dermoscopy and Nevisense as a decision-support tool.In the US study, the first stage increased biopsy decision accuracy from 79.9% to 91.1%, and the second stage increased from 85.2% to 91.1%, yielding an 11.2% and 5.9% improvement rate, respectively. 

Assessment accuracy

Furthermore, the research concluded that US dermatologists had a higher rate of correct biopsy decisions for malignant melanomas than their German colleagues. Correct biopsy decisions only include the ability to accurately decide that a melanoma should be biopsied. However, German dermatologists showed greater accuracy in avoiding unnecessary biopsies of benign skin conditions.

Renaudin explains: “The US doctors did have a higher detection rate for melanomas, but they also had a higher overall biopsy rate. The main theory in the study is that there is a higher concern among US dermatologists to miss a melanoma due to malpractice concerns.” 

“The US-based dermatologists are more likely to make risk-averse decisions, and in Europe, there is a more widely used practice of monitoring lesions.”

The research also indicates further reasons for the differences between countries, like practice patterns, training, and malpractice concerns. 

Ultimately, the results indicate the success of using Nevisense as a complementary tool to dermoscopy, contributing to correct and accurate biopsy decisions and patient outcomes.