Non-Invasive Skin Cancer Diagnosis by Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy - Biophysics, Devices, Clinical Evidence, and Future Directions

Sep 22, 2026

Skin cancer creates a rising global health burden, and current diagnosis often combines clinical examination and dermoscopy with histopathology, yet benign–malignant overlap can cause uncertainty and lead to avoidable biopsies. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) provides a non-invasive, portable, and cost-efficient approach by quantifying dielectric contrast between malignant and healthy tissue. This review synthesizes biophysical mechanisms, device and electrode strategies, major multicenter clinical evidence, and future AI-enabled multimodal directions.

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Review Non-Invasive Skin Cancer Diagnosis by Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy: Biophysics, Devices, Clinical Evidence, and Future Directions Jing Yang 1,†, Ling Wu 1,†, Huan Xue 1, Jingxiu Chai 1, Yuchong Chen 1,* and Cheng Zhong 2, * Received: 26 June 2026 Revised: 9 August 2026 Accepted: 13 August 2026 Published: 21 August 2026 Copyright: © 2026 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. 1 Department of Dermatologic Surgery, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200443, China; [2602045@tongji.edu.cn](2602045@tongji.edu.cn) (J.Y.); [2602118@tongji.edu.cn](2602118@tongji.edu.cn) (L.W.); [2602046@tongji.edu.cn](2602046@tongji.edu.cn) (H.X.); [2602117@tongji.edu.cn](2602117@tongji.edu.cn) (J.C.) 2 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China * Correspondence: [2105432@tongji.edu.cn](2105432@tongji.edu.cn) (Y.C.); [cheng.zhong@tju.edu.cn](cheng.zhong@tju.edu.cn) (C.Z.)† These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract Skin cancer represents a growing global health burden. Current diagnostic pathways combine clinical examination and dermoscopy with histopathological confirmation; however, overlap between benign and malignant lesions can create diagnostic uncertainty and lead to potentially avoidable biopsies. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has emerged asa non-invasive technique with potential for portable and cost-efficient implementation that quantifies the dielectric contrast between malignant and healthy tissue, providing objective information that may support clinical decision-making. This review synthesizes the field across four levels. First, we describe the biophysical origins of the impedance contrast in skin cancer, spanning the cellular, tissue architecture, and molecular scales, together with the equivalent circuit and Cole–Cole frameworks used to interpret it. Second, we examine hardware advances, including electrode–skin interface strategies, flexible and wearable architectures, computational electrode design, and the translation from laboratory prototypes to commercial systems such as Nevisense. Third, we critically appraise clinical evidence from large multicenter trials, focusing on the sensitivity–specificity trade-off and the demonstrated reduction in the number needed to excise. Finally, we discuss emerging frontiers, including artificial intelligence-driven analysis and multimodal fusion with dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and near-infrared spectroscopy. We conclude that EIS is most valuable as a complementary component within an integrated, AI-supported multimodal diagnostic framework. Keywords: electrical impedance spectroscopy; bioimpedance; skin cancer; melanoma; non-invasive diagnosis; dermoscopy; biosensors; medical devices 1. Introduction With the growing incidence of skin cancer, which has become a global public health concern [1,2], more precise and objective tools are urgently needed to address the inherent limitations of current diagnostic methods [3] . At present, the clinical diagnosis of skin diseases usually first relies on visual observation assisted by dermoscopy, and invasive biopsy follows to offer further confirmation [4–6] . Visual observation is highly dependent on the clinical experience of the doctor, since the morphology of early or atypical melanoma is similar to that of benign nevi [4,7] . As a result, considerable numbers of biopsies are performed on benign lesions to avoid missed diagnosis [7,8] . This not only increases the healthcare cost for patients but also exposes them to unnecessary surgery and the accompanying pain and anxiety [7,9] . To address these challenges in early skin cancer detection, a s

FAQs

Why do current skin cancer diagnostic pathways often lead to unnecessary biopsies?

Overlap between benign and malignant lesions can create diagnostic uncertainty, and visual assessment may be strongly dependent on clinicians’ experience, especially for early or atypical melanoma that resembles benign nevi.

How does electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) support non-invasive diagnosis?

EIS quantifies dielectric contrast between malignant and healthy tissue by measuring tissue electrical properties, offering more objective information that may assist clinical decision-making.

What clinical and technical issues does the review emphasize about EIS?

It reviews biophysical origins and interpretation frameworks, hardware and electrode–skin interface strategies (including wearable architectures and prototype-to-commercial translation), and critically evaluates clinical evidence with sensitivity–specificity trade-offs and biopsy reduction metrics.

Sep 22, 2026

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