Analysis of ensemble machine learning classification comparison on the skin cancer MNIST dataset

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the performance of various ensemble machine learning methods, such as Adaboost, Bagging, and Stacking, in the context of skin cancer classification using the skin cancer MNIST dataset. We also evaluate the impact of handling dataset imbalance on the classification model’s performance by applying imbalanced data methods such as random under sampling (RUS), random over sampling (ROS), synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE), and synthetic minority over-sampling technique with edited nearest neighbor (SMOTEENN). The research findings indicate that Adaboost is effective in addressing data imbalance, while imbalanced data methods can significantly improve accuracy. However, the selection of imbalanced data methods should be carefully tailored to the dataset characteristics and clinical objectives. In conclusion, addressing data imbalance can enhance skin cancer classification accuracy, with Adaboost being an exception that shows a decrease in accuracy after applying imbalanced data methods.