Bupa has launched a new at home service to support remote skin cancer assessment, working with health tech company Skin Analytics.
As part of the service, Bupa customers are sent an imaging kit, which includes a smartphone and a magnifying scope to take pictures of suspicious moles or marks. The images are then sent to dermatologists to review within 24 hours.
According to Cancer Research UK there are 16,000 new cases of melanoma skin cancer diagnosed every year, an increase of 38% over the last decade.
Bupa customers can call the Bupa Cancer Direct Access service, and if suitable, the next working day will receive a kit.
Dr Luke James, medical director, Bupa Global & UK, said: “If detected early enough skin cancer is easily treated and survival rates are high. However, diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers are often delayed because people are aren’t confident identifying the symptoms or are concerned about wasting the doctors time. This has been more telling during the pandemic.”
“Most moles are harmless and they’re usually nothing to worry about, but it’s important to get any unusual changes to the skin checked out as it could be a sign of something more serious. Our new remote skin assessment service allows fast access to medical support and treatment for a diagnosis, or offers peace of mind that the symptoms are not cancer.”
Alex Perry, CEO, Bupa UK Insurance said: “The biggest thing that makes the difference in cancer treatment is detecting and treating it early. Worryingly, at the height of the crisis fewer people were coming forward with signs and symptoms that might be cancer.”
“Our remote skin assessment and Cancer Direct Access services help to remove any potential barriers, reducing the time between detection, diagnosis and treatment.”
