Deep Learning-Based Web Application for Automated Skin Lesion Classification and Analysis
Background/Objectives: Skin lesions, ranging from benign to malignant diseases, are a difficult dermatological condition due to their great diversity and variable severity. Their detection at an early stage and proper classification, particularly between benign Nevus (NV), precancerous Actinic Keratosis (AK), and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), are crucial for improving the effectiveness of treatment and patient prognosis. The goal of this study was to test deep learning (DL) models to determine the best architecture to use in classifying lesions and create a web-based platform for improved diagnostic and educational availability. Methods: Various DL models, like Xception, DenseNet169, ResNet152V2, InceptionV3, MobileNetV2, EfficientNetV2 Small, and NASNetMobile, were compared for classification accuracy. The top model was incorporated into a web application, allowing users to upload images for automatic classification, thereby offering confidence scores as a measure of the reliability of predictions. The tool also has enhanced visualization capabilities, which allow users to investigate feature maps derived from convolutional layers, enhancing interpretability. Web scraping and summarization techniques were also employed to offer concise, evidence-based dermatological information from established sources. Results: Of the models evaluated, DenseNet169 achieved the best classification accuracy of 85% and was, therefore, chosen as the base architecture for the web application. The application enhances diagnostic clarity by visualizing features and promotes access to trustworthy medical information on dermatological disorders. Conclusions: The developed web application serves as both a diagnostic support system for dermatologists and an educational system for the general public. By using DL-based classification, interpretability techniques, and automatic medical information extraction, it facilitates early intervention and increases awareness regarding skin health.
Authors
- İsmail Böğrekçi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9494-5405)
- Pınar Demircioğlu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1375-5616)
- Serra Aksoy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2391-9437)
Institutions
- Technical University of Munich (DE)
- Adnan Menderes University (TR)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Dermato
- Published
- 2025-04-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/dermato5020007
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Cutaneous Melanoma Detection and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.27