Hospiten Roca in Gran Canaria has incorporated digital monitoring of surface skin with the Fotofinder BodyScan ATBM, to monitor moles. The scanner can detect new lesions, as well as any changes in existing lesions making it easier to detect melanoma in the early stages.
Located in San Agustin, Hospiten Roca is currently the only hospital able to offer this new technology in the south of Gran Canaria. The Dermatology Service has taken a step forward in offering their patients the highest standards in their dermatology consultations.
According to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Spain has one of the lowest incidence and mortality rates for melanoma in Europe, which “may be due to early diagnosis and surgical treatment”, states Dr. Rosa Martel, dermatologist at Hospiten Roca.
Nevertheless, it is one of the diseases growing rapidly in our country, with an increase in the number of cases in men of 181.3% and 205.3% in women. Mortality rates have also risen for Spain in the last decades, although that tendency has stabilized in recent years. “This data reinforces the need for regular, preventive check-ups to diagnose and treat all types of lesion in time”, she adds.
In this particular case, the equipment incorporated at Hospiten Roca automatically takes an intelligent combination of photos of the surface of the body together with digital Dermatoscopy of any moles requiring close monitoring. Fotofinder also allows doctors to use photographs to control other skin conditions like atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. It can also provide support during routine consultations by making the medical team’s work easier and providing more accurate information.
Carrying out a study of the skin surface using this kind of equipment is generally recommended for patients in which, due to the number of moles they have or their unusual clinical characteristics, a visual examination during the consultation may not be enough. It is also of use in patients who, due to personal or family history, require digital monitoring of their moles. For that reason, the technique is endorsed by internationally renowned professionals.
The Hospiten Group is an international healthcare network committed to providing high quality service, with 50 years of experience, which has twenty private medical-hospital centers in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama, and more than one hundred outpatient health centers, under the Clinic Assist brand. The group is chaired by Dr. Pedro Luis Cobiella and attends more than 1,700,000 patients from all over the world a year, employing more than 5,000 people.