Insights, Advantages, and Barriers of Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Dermatology for the Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer - A Systematic Review

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

Teledermatology is used for the diagnosis and follow-up of skin cancer and gained importance during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, while demographic shifts drive rising non-melanoma skin cancer and precancerous lesions. This systematic review compares teledermatology with conventional face-to-face dermatology to define advantages, limitations, and diagnostic workflow roles for patients and physicians. Evidence synthesis examines diagnostic accuracy, interrater/intrarater agreement, time-to-assessment, time-to-treatment, and cost-effectiveness, and identifies improvement levers such as image quality, history availability, teledermoscopy, and experience.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Teledermatology background and rationale

Forms of teledermatology (store-and-forward vs synchronous)

Diagnostic and workflow considerations

Methods

Literature search and article selection

Extraction process and outcomes

Results

Diagnostic accuracy and agreement

Factors improving sensitivity

Time-to-assessment, time-to-treatment, and cost-effectiveness

Discussion

Advantages and limitations for patients and physicians

Conclusions

Role in triage and follow-up

cancers Systematic Review Insights, Advantages, and Barriers of Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Dermatology for the Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review Georgios Nikolakis 1,2, *, Aristeidis G. Vaiopoulos 3, Ioannis Georgopoulos 2,4, Eleni Papakonstantinou 5, George Gaitanis 6 and Christos C. Zouboulis 1 Citation: Nikolakis, G.; Vaiopoulos, A.G.; Georgopoulos, I.; Papakonstantinou, E.; Gaitanis, G.; Zouboulis, C.C. Insights, Advantages, and Barriers of Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Dermatology for the Diagnosis and Follow-up of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review. Cancers 2024, 16, 578. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)cancers16030578 Academic Editor: Reinhard Dummer Received: 4 October 2023 Revised: 21 January 2024 Accepted: 24 January 2024 Published: 30 January 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Departments of Dermatology, Venereology, Allergology and Immunology, Staedtisches Klinikum Dessau, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, 06847 Dessau, Germany; [christos.zouboulis@mhb-fontane.de](christos.zouboulis@mhb-fontane.de) 2 Docandu Ltd., London N8 0ES, UK; [ioannis.georgopoulos@med.uoa.gr](ioannis.georgopoulos@med.uoa.gr) 3 Second Department of Dermatology and Venereology,“Attikon” University General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece; [avaiopoulos@gmail.com](avaiopoulos@gmail.com) 4 Surgical Department,“Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece 5 Private Practice of Dermatology, 19100 Attiki, Greece; [elenipap2000@hotmail.com](elenipap2000@hotmail.com) 6 Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece; [ggaitan@uoi.gr](ggaitan@uoi.gr) * Correspondence: [georgios.nikolakis@mhb-fontane.de](georgios.nikolakis@mhb-fontane.de); Tel.: +49-340-501-4013 Simple Summary: This systematic review investigates the diagnostic concordance, advantages, and barriers of teledermatology in comparison to face-to-face dermatology for the diagnosis, management plan, and follow-up of non-melanoma skin cancer. Factors of increasing its sensitivity (teledermoscopy, quality of images, artificial intelligence, experience in generating clinical and teledermoscopy images) and its role as a tool for non-melanoma skin cancer triage for both underserved and high-risk populations are discussed. Abstract: Background: Teledermatology is employed in the diagnosis and follow-up of skin cancer and its use was intensified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, demographic changes result in an overall increase in non-melanoma skin cancer and skin precancerous lesions. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of teledermatology in comparison to conventional face-to-face dermatology for such lesions and determine the advantages and limitations of this workflow for patients and physicians. Methods: Research was performed using relevant keywords in MEDLINE and CENTRAL. Relevant articles were chosen following a predetermined standardized extraction form. Results: Diagnostic accuracy and interrater/intrarater agreement can be considered comparable—although lower—than in-person consultation. Improvement of particular features such as image quality, medical history availability, and teledermoscopy can further increase accuracy. Further aspects of limitations and advantages (mean time-to-assessment, time-to-treatment, costeffectiveness) are discussed. Conclusions: Teledermatology has comparabl

FAQs

How does teledermatology compare with face-to-face dermatology in diagnostic accuracy for non-melanoma skin cancer?

Diagnostic accuracy and interrater/intrarater agreement are considered comparable, though lower than in-person consultation. Accuracy can improve with better supporting factors such as image quality and teledermoscopy.

Which factors are discussed as increasing teledermatology sensitivity?

The review discusses improved image quality, availability of medical history, teledermoscopy, and additional experience generating clinical and teledermoscopy images, including the potential role of artificial intelligence.

What are the reported practical advantages and limitations of teledermatology workflows?

Advantages include easier access to dermatologic consultation and shorter mean times to diagnostic biopsy and/or treatment, supported by cost-effectiveness. Limitations include reduced sensitivity compared with in-person consultation, with workflow performance influenced by available information and imaging quality.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick