There is an emerging technology that is making Melanoma detection quicker and easier, and is also saving patients from having to get a biopsy to determine if a mole is pre-cancerous. The MelaFind is a high-tech laser gun that performs the same work that a scalpel is intended to do: it looks deep into the mole, but without having to cut into the patients skin.
The pros for the MelaFind is that it will be able to diagnose melanomas earlier and will prevent patients from having to get a biopsy. This saves patients money and eliminates getting scars from a biopsy. On the other hand, the MelaFind is not yet covered by insurance and costs $100 for five mole searches.
Doctors believe that the MelaFide is better for determining if a mole is dangerous because they will be able to view the results on a computer screen after the MelaFind is used. The MelaFind will now allow for patients to only need surgery if the mole comes back indicating that it is pre-cancerous.
To see a video clip on the MelaFind, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZIXiwBezGQ.
Yesterday I had a conversation with one of my mom’s good friends on the phone. She recently had surgery to remove a cancerous mole on her leg and was telling me about her whole ordeal. She said that she thought the biopsy experience was actually worse than the surgery that she had to remove the cancerous mole. The reason for this was the weeklong wait she had to endure before she received her biopsy results. She had never been so scared or worried in her life. I remembered watching this video in class so I told her about it and I ended up texting her the link to your blog so she could watch the video herself. She says that next time she goes in for a check up she will definitely ask her dermatologist about this procedure. More than anything she liked that this would save her from weeks of worrying about the biopsy results of harmless moles. She also said that she would expect to have to pay far more than $20 per mole because new medical technologies are usually expensive.
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Megan. See, Joanna, you are having an impact already!! You should ask any guests who visit your site to feel welcome to post comments as well.
DeleteYes - the waiting is the WORST. You have to wait 7-10 days before your results come back, and they are the most dreadful days. My doctor is a believer in "no news is good news", but I asked that they always call me now after a biopsy. What was worse was that I found out about the second one while I was on my birthright trip over winter break. It definitely put me in a depressed mood, but I knew that I would take care of it when I got back and everyone was there to comfort me.
DeleteMegan actually saw my first scar a month or so after my surgery. I noticed that she had been tanning, and I told her my story. She told me that would be the last time she would go into a tanning bed. Every dermatologist visit since, Megan has told me that she still hasn't tanned. I'm glad that I could help at least one person :)