Project record · est. September 7, 2011
MelaScan is a project name reserved in September 2011 for a computer-assisted melanoma detection concept. The companion domain DetectMelanoma.com was registered the same day, September 7, 2011, and both have been held continuously by the same owner since.
The two names were chosen together and for the same idea: the descriptive phrase for what the project was meant to do, and the shorter name it would carry.
Software that analyzes an image of a skin lesion to identify whether it is malignant is a regulated medical device in the United States. The FDA names essentially this function as a device function in its clinical decision support guidance, and the Federal Trade Commission has brought enforcement actions against consumer apps that made melanoma detection claims without clinical evidence behind them.
Building it responsibly means clinical trials, a quality system, and a regulatory submission. That was beyond the scope of the original plan, and the diagnostic work has been deferred since. The pathway has become clearer in the meantime. In January 2024 the FDA authorized the first AI-enabled skin cancer detection device for use in primary care, creating a device classification a later applicant can file against rather than starting from scratch.
The research became a plainly written public reference on how melanoma is actually detected: the warning signs, how to check your own skin, what a real dermatology exam involves, and an honest assessment of what current AI tools can and cannot do. No advertising, no products, and nothing on it assesses anyone's skin.
Correspondence about this project is welcome at contact@melascan.com. Please do not send photographs of skin or medical details. Nobody here is qualified to review them.