Skin Repair Skin Cancer Clinic is honoured to have been asked to join a national Australian melanoma research study called the IMAGE trial.  We have been preparing for this for some time but will finally be able to offer this in Townsville later this month. 

We have been doing detailed photographic skin surveillance for our patients at highest risk of melanoma for well over a decade.  As many of you may know, we were thrilled to upgrade in March 2021 to the IntelliStudio2 which has superior quality imaging and inbuilt artificial intelligence for detecting new and changed skin spots.

The IMAGE trial will add to the world literature on total body photography following a diagnosis of melanoma. The study will prove whether people who are monitored with photography have fewer innocent skin spots removed compared to those who do not have photography.

Most importantly, the IMAGE trial will help the Australian Government decide if melanoma surveillance photography should be covered by Medicare.

Watch the recent 7News clip on the IMAGE trial, featuring Dr Helena Rosengren:

To take part, you must have been diagnosed with a primary melanoma within the last two years and have a good number of moles on your body. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to having standard clinical skin examinations with or without additional melanoma surveillance photography. The study will continue for two years once you are recruited. For those randomised to having photography this service will be complimentary.

We plan to reach out to our eligible patients in the coming months to see if they would like to participate but you are also most welcome to call and enquire if you are interested in taking part in this landmark study.

The IMAGE trial is enrolling participants across 14 (mainly hospital-based specialist melanoma) sites in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The research is funded by the Australian government, sponsored by Monash University and has been approved by the Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee (Melbourne).