Skin cancer is already among the most common cancers worldwide. If all forms, including often under-recorded non-melanoma types, were reliably screened and recorded, it would likely be a top global cancer incidence. In the EU alone, over 620,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, with associated healthcare costs exceeding €9 billion. These figures are projected to rise by up to 50% by 2030, placing increasing pressure on healthcare systems.

Effective skin cancer screening requires a method that is simple, non-invasive, low-cost, and scalable – ideally without needing a dermatologist for the initial assessment. AI-based tools perform well by analysing the shape of suspicious areas in images, but they are limited to surface-level, visual data at later cancer stages.

THz-Skin offers a transformative approach by detecting early-stage cancer spectral fingerprints from the skin’s thermal emissions, providing biochemical information from up to 1 mm beneath the surface. This enables fast, safe, and accurate screening based on underlying biochemical changes, offering a powerful, stand-alone tool for early detection without requiring visual inspection or specialist involvement at the first diagnostic stage.