A Systematic Review on Smartphone Skin Cancer Apps: Coherent Taxonomy, Motivations, Open Challenges and Recommendations, and New Research Direction

Abstract

Objective: This research aims to survey the efforts of researchers in response to the new and disruptive technology of skin cancer apps, map the research landscape from the literature onto coherent taxonomy, and determine the basic characteristics of this emerging field. In addition, this research looks at the motivation behind using Smartphone apps in the diagnosis of skin cancer and in health care and the open challenges that impede the utility of this technology. This study offers valuable recommendations to improve the acceptance and use of medical apps in the literature. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive survey using the keywords “skin cancer,” “apps,” and “Smartphone” or “m-Health” in different variations to find all the relevant articles in three major databases: Web of Science, Science Direct, and IEEE Xplore. These databases broadly cover medical and technical literature. Results: We found 110 articles after a comprehensive survey of the literature. Out of the 110 articles, 46 present actual attempts to develop and design medical apps or share certain experiences of doing so. Twenty-eight articles consist of analytical studies on the incidence of skin cancer, the classification of malignant cancer or benign cancer, and the methods of prevention and diagnosis. Twenty-two articles comprise studies that range from the evaluative or comparative study of apps to the exploration of the desired features for skin cancer detection. Fourteen articles consist of reviews and surveys that refer to actual apps or the literature to describe medical apps for a specific specialty, disease, or skin cancer and provide a general overview of the technology. New research direction: With the exception of the 110 papers reviewed earlier in results section, the new directions of this research were described. In state-of-the-art, no particular study presenting watermarking and stenography approaches for any type of skin cancer images based on Smartphone apps is available. Discussion: Researchers have attempted to develop and improve skin cancer apps in several ways since 2011. However, several areas or aspects require further attention. All the articles, regardless of their research focus, attempt to address the challenges that impede the full utility of skin cancer apps and offer recommendations to mitigate their drawbacks. Conclusions: Research on skin cancer apps is active and efficient. This study contributes to this area of research by providing a detailed review of the available options and problems to allow other researchers and participants to further develop skin cancer apps, and the new directions of this research were described.