New machine found Karen's melanoma which might have gone unnoticed

Karen Wellington's skin cancer was discovered on her neck thanks to a 3D imaging on trial at the hospital.

It was fortunate Ms Wellington took part in the trial as her GP told her any health professional could easily have missed detecting the cancer during a regular check up.

"He said, 'That doesn't look like anything to me'," Ms Wellington said.

"If I hadn't had that scan, I suppose you'd feel like a ticking time bomb."

Ms Wellington chose to take part in the trial because she has a family history of skin cancer and several moles and freckles, but said the diagnosis caught her off guard.

"I'm an oncology nurse. I'm experienced," she said.

"But I thought, 'What does that mean?' You just go numb."

Bendigo Health is one of 15 hospitals participating in the clinical trial by the Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID).

The trial is testing the efficiency of machines which create 3D imaging of a patient's body and flag any suspicious skin lesions.

Since the trial began, eight melanomas have been found on 404 patients in Bendigo.

Dr Robert Blum, the principal investigator on the ACEMID trial, said clinical trials in regional Victoria helped provide access to people who would otherwise need to travel to Melbourne for specialist care.

"We've got a lot of people that work outside, in farming and that sort of stuff," Dr Blum said.

"They come in with heavily damaged skin. Once that skin's been damaged, they're constantly having to get things checked and cut out.

"A lot of people in the community who don't even have GPs. So the program is using technologies to make the system more efficient by filling the gaps, so to speak."

Ms Wellington highly recommends people participate in the trial, but admits the process can be a bit uncomfortable.

"When you go into the machine, you strip down to just your undies and you stand like a scarecrow," she said.

"You can feel quite vulnerable but it's very quick, and it's very discreet."

The process takes about 30 seconds, after which the machine creates a 3D avatar of the patient.

"It can be a bit confronting - you're just bobbing around on the screen," Ms Wellington said.

A nurse with specialist training then looks at the photos and refers any significant spots to a dermatologist and GP.

Anyone can participate in the trial, as long as they have a GP the hospital can refer any suspicious skin lesions to.

Despite the current success of the project, the clinical trial should not be used as a substitute for regular check ups with the patient's GP.