In a recent study, Duke University researchers have disclosed that a brand new, laser-based tool could help doctors in better diagnosing melanoma; thereby underscoring the potential to save many lives.

The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, tested the tiny skin-cancer-detecting laser on 42 skin samples. Chiefly highlighting the pigments associated with melanoma, the researchers were able to correctly identify the eleven melanoma cases that were included in the study.

Going by an NBC report, despite the findings of the new study, experts have still stressed the need for more research in the direction of melanoma diagnosis.

Nonetheless, with the laser having much more potential of accuracy as compared to a biopsy, which is presently the most common way to diagnose the skin cancer.

About the current method of performing a tissue biopsy, by using light and magnifying glass, Warren Warren, head of Duke's Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Imaging, said that it is essentially a “17th-century technique that is only 85 percent reliable.”

Meanwhile, according to researcher Thomas Matthews, even if only one-half of the melanoma diagnosis using the new laser tool turns out to be successful, the procedure would still be effective in preventing hundreds of thousands of inaccurate diagnoses.

As such, to further advance its study, the Duke University research team intends using the laser on thousands of archived skin slices.