Deep Learning-Based Classification of Melanoma and Cutaneous Lesions Using NFNet Architecture: Development and Clinical Validation

Melanoma remains the most lethal form of skin cancer, necessitating early detection for optimal patient outcomes. This study presents an advanced automated diagnostic system utilizing state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks—NFNet-L0, ResNeSt-101e, and MogaNet-XT—to classify nine types of cutaneous lesions from dermoscopic images. Leveraging a diverse dataset of 22,618 images from the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) and Venezuelan clinical centers, the system demonstrates 96.2% accuracy in multi-class classification, outperforming conventional methods. Robust data augmentation and class-balancing strategies ensured balanced performance across all lesion categories. Clinical validation by five board-certified Venezuelan dermatologists confirmed the system’s diagnostic accuracy, clinical relevance, and usability. The application’s deployment as an accessible web interface highlights its potential for supporting dermatological diagnosis, particularly in resource-limited settings. Our findings underscore the promise of deep learning-driven tools for enhancing skin cancer detection and improving healthcare equity in Latin America and beyond.