Mole Mapper Melanoma Study

Name: Mole Mapper Melanoma Study
Author: Oregon Health & Science University

Oregon Health & Science University

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:General Public & EnthusiastsPatients & Caregivers

Free

Download on the App Store

App Summary

Mole Mapper is a mobile health application designed for individuals to map, measure, and monitor their skin moles, contributing user-captured images and data to a large-scale observational research project on melanoma. An initial study of the project's cohort (N=2,069) found that participant-provided data corresponded with known melanoma risk factors, establishing the foundation for what is now the largest publicly available dataset of consumer-collected skin lesion images. The associated research concludes that this openly shared, participant-driven data serves as a foundational resource for the biomedical community to advance melanoma research and develop early detection tools.

App Screenshots

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Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Developed by Oregon Health & Science University, Mole Mapper is a citizen science application designed for longitudinal self-monitoring of skin lesions. The system leverages the smartphone camera to capture high-resolution images of moles. Its interface facilitates measurement by using a common coin as a size reference, enabling individuals to digitally map and track changes in mole size, shape, and location over time. The application functions as both a personal tracking tool and a data-collection platform for melanoma research.

Evidence & Research Context

The application serves as the primary data collection tool for the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) MoleMapper observational study.
Initial research associated with the app (N=2,069 participants) collected demographic surveys, mole measurements, and images, successfully recapitulating known melanoma risk factors.
The study has produced the largest publicly available dataset of consumer-collected smartphone images of pigmented skin lesions, comprising over 27,000 curated mole images.
This dataset is intended to enable quantitative analysis and the development of machine learning algorithms for skin lesion assessment by qualified researchers.

Intended Use & Scope

This tool is intended for the general public for personal, longitudinal monitoring of skin lesions and for contributing data to melanoma research. It is designed to augment, not replace, professional dermatological care. The application does not provide diagnostic information or medical advice, and any concerning changes must be evaluated by a qualified clinician.

Studies & Publications

2 publications

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Non-Evaluative Reference

New Release of User-Captured Images from the Oregon Health & Science University Melanoma MoleMapper Project

Petrie et al. (2025) · Scientific Data

Referenced in academic literature; no direct evaluation of the app

We announce the release of the OHSU MoleMapper Smartphone Skin Images dataset which contains over six years of new data acquired from the Oregon Health & Science University's (OHSU) MoleMapper study. This released dataset includes 27,499 mole images curated to exclude images with protected health identifiers, 7,305 images of skin patches near the mole images, 1,000 contextual images, and basic metadata from the participants. This data is available to qualified researchers on Sage Bionetwork's Synapse platform under Synapse ID syn51520810 and represents the largest publicly available dataset of consumer-collected smartphone images of pigmented skin lesions. We release these data to the biomedical research community to enable quantitative analysis of images of non-clinician smartphone photography of skin lesions as well as to better understand what lesions appear concerning to the public. These data are unlabelled but in a machine learning context can be used to pre-train networks using self-supervised learning techniques or to quantitatively analyze the image quality of consumer-collected skin images.

Survey/Cross-sectional

The Mole Mapper Study, mobile phone skin imaging and melanoma risk data collected using ResearchKit

Webster et al. (2017) · Scientific Data

Participants successfully contributed skin images and melanoma risk data through the mobile app.

Sensor-embedded phones are an emerging facilitator for participant-driven research studies. Skin cancer research is particularly amenable to this approach, as phone cameras enable self-examination and documentation of mole abnormalities that may signal a progression towards melanoma. Aggregation and open sharing of this participant-collected data can be foundational for research and the development of early cancer detection tools. Here we describe data from Mole Mapper, an iPhone-based observational study built using the Apple ResearchKit framework. The Mole Mapper app was designed to collect participant-provided images and measurements of moles, together with demographic and behavioral information relating to melanoma risk. The study cohort includes 2,069 participants who contributed 1,920 demographic surveys, 3,274 mole measurements, and 2,422 curated mole images. Survey data recapitulates associations between melanoma and known demographic risks, with red hair as the most significant factor in this cohort. Participant-provided mole measurements indicate an average mole size of 3.95?mm. These data have been made available to engage researchers in a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort to better understand and prevent melanoma.

In the Media

OHSU offers FREE Mole Mapping App

Ph.D. cancer biologist Dan Webster developed Mole Mapper to help his high-risk wife monitor her moles, later partnering with OHSU's Sancy Leachman to create a smartphone-based mole tracking system. The app allows users to "accurately measure and monitor their moles using their smartphone cameras" while optionally contributing anonymous photos to melanoma research through Apple's ResearchKit platform. Leachman joined the design team to put proactive skin health technology directly in consumers' hands amid lengthy dermatology appointment wait times.

YoursummerskinRead article

Mole Mapper app crowd-sources photos for skin cancer research, prevention

OHSU's Sancy Leachman joined the design team for Mole Mapper to collect patient-generated skin images and data needed to train artificial intelligence for melanoma detection, launching the app on iTunes in October 2015. The app's first seven months generated data from 2,798 U.S. participants who contributed 1,920 demographic surveys and 3,274 mole measurements, which OHSU and Sage Bionetworks published in Nature Scientific Data. Leachman noted that AI technology could help users "get into their physician more quickly" when needed while allowing others to "avoid making an unnecessary trip to the doctor."

OhsuRead article

OHSU releases Mole Mapper ResearchKit app to track potential skin cancers

Oregon Health & Science University released Mole Mapper to advance melanoma research by enabling users to accurately measure and monitor moles using their iPhone cameras and ResearchKit technology. Cancer biologist Dan Webster created the app initially to help monitor his wife's moles between dermatologist visits, stating "It's amazing to think this app â something I created in my spare time â now has the capacity to involve so many people in the fight against melanoma." The app allows users to photograph moles relative to reference objects like coins and contribute data to OHSU's melanoma research initiative through the Knight Cancer Institute.

OhsuRead article