BACKGROUND: In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a promising non-invasive skin imaging technique that could facilitate early diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) instead of routine punch biopsies. However, the clinical value and utility of RCM vs. a punch biopsy in diagnosing and subtyping BCC is unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To assess diagnostic accuracy of RCM vs. punch biopsy for diagnosing and subtyping clinically suspected primary BCC.

METHODS: A prospective, consecutive cohort ...

IMPORTANCE: Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) studies have been performed to identify criteria for diagnosis of skin neoplasms. However, RCM-based diagnosis is operator dependent. Hence, reproducibility of RCM criteria needs to be tested.

OBJECTIVE: To test interobserver reproducibility of recognition of previously published RCM descriptors and accuracy of RCM-based skin cancer diagnosis.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Observational retrospective web-based study of a set of RCM ...

Urine is a potential source of diagnostic biomarkers for detection of diseases, and is a very attractive means of non-invasive biospecimen collection. Nonetheless, proteomic measurement in urine is very challenging because diagnostic biomarkers exist in very low concentration (usually below the sensitivity of common immunoassays) and may be subject to rapid degradation. Hydrogel nanoparticles functionalized with Cibacron Blue F3G-A (CB) have been applied to address these challenges for ...

BACKGROUND: Whether machine-learning algorithms can diagnose all pigmented skin lesions as accurately as human experts is unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of state-of-the-art machine-learning algorithms with human readers for all clinically relevant types of benign and malignant pigmented skin lesions.

METHODS: For this open, web-based, international, diagnostic study, human readers were asked to diagnose dermatoscopic images selected randomly in ...

BACKGROUND: Several dermoscopic and in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) diagnostic criteria of lentigo maligna (LM)/lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) have been identified. However, no study compared the diagnostic accuracy of these techniques.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy and RCM for LM/LMM using a holistic assessment of the images.

METHODS: A total of 223 facial lesions were evaluated by 21 experts. Diagnostic accuracy of the clinical, dermoscopic ...

BACKGROUND: Frozen histological sections are used for intraoperative margin assessment during Mohs surgery. Fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM) is a new tool that offers a promising and faster alternative to frozen histology.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate prospectively in a clinical setting the accuracy of FCM vs. frozen sections in margin assessment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

METHODS: Patients with BCC scheduled for Mohs surgery were prospectively enrolled. Freshly excised surgical ...

BACKGROUND: Amelanotic melanomas are often difficult to diagnose.

OBJECTIVES: To find and test the best methods of diagnosis using dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) tools.

METHODS: We selected consecutive, difficult-to-diagnose, light-coloured and amelanotic skin lesions from three centres (in Australia and Italy). Dermoscopy and RCM diagnostic utility were evaluated under blinded conditions utilizing 45 melanomas (16 in situ, 29 invasive), 68 naevi, 48 basal cell ...

BACKGROUND: Nodular lesions pose diagnostic challenges because nodular melanoma may simulate all kinds of melanocytic and nonmelanocytic lesions. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a novel technique that allows visualization of the skin at nearly histological resolution although limited laser depth penetration hampers visualization of the deep dermis.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess whether the diagnostic accuracy of RCM was comparable to histopathology for the diagnosis of nodular ...

BACKGROUND: The management of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) depends, among other factors, on its histopathologic subtype. Although dermoscopic criteria of BCC have been investigated, the possible role of dermoscopy in predicting the tumor subtype remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopic criteria for differentiating superficial BCC (sBCC) from other BCC subtypes.

METHODS: Dermoscopic images of histopathologically confirmed BCCs were ...

BACKGROUND: In most cases dermoscopy is performed only on lesions selected by clinical inspection which present worrying clinical features or appear to deviate from the patient's average type of naevus. Thus, possible early malignant melanomas (MMs) or MM precursors, lacking typical clinical characteristics, may elude the dermoscopic examination.

OBJECTIVES: To perform a comparison between two different approaches to the patient's examination, one based on a clinical preselection of ...

Fractionated carbon dioxide (CO2) laser resurfacing is an effective treatment of skin aging. Several studies investigated the morphologic changes due to this laser treatment by using skin biopsies or animal model. Recently, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) has emerged as a new tool that can “optically” scan the skin in vivo with a nearly histologic resolution and in a totally noninvasive modality. Our study aims to analyze the skin changes following the ablative fractional CO2 laser ...

Importance: The accuracy of melanoma-specific dermoscopic criteria has been tested mainly in studies including invasive tumors. Scarce evidence exists on the usefulness of these criteria for the diagnosis of melanoma in situ (MIS).

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopic criteria for the diagnosis of MIS.

Design, Setting, and Participants: A diagnostic accuracy study with retrospective patient enrollment was conducted in 3 centers specializing in skin cancer ...

OBJECTIVES: To identify in vivo microscopic substrates of the dermoscopic patterns of melanocytic lesions and to correlate them with histopathologic features.

DESIGN: Before excision, lesion areas that showed characteristic dermoscopic patterns were imaged by dermoscopy and confocal microscopy and directly correlated with histopathologic features.

SETTING: Departments of Dermatology of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Hospital Clínico of Barcelona, between July 2006 and ...

BACKGROUND: Dermatoscopy increases both the sensitivity and specificity of melanoma diagnosis. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a noninvasive technique that complements dermatoscopy in the evaluation of equivocal lesions at cellular resolution.

OBJECTIVES: To determine prospectively the potential impact of confocal microscopy when implemented in a routine melanoma diagnosis workflow.

METHODS: Patients referred to a single melanoma clinic were consecutively enrolled. At ...

BACKGROUND: Although in the majority of melanomas there is no evidence of pre-existing melanocytic nevus, it is believed that malignant transformation may sometimes occur within a benign precursor.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to describe the morphologic features of de novo melanoma and melanoma arising from nevi by means of in vivo confocal microscopy, and to correlate them with their corresponding histopathologic features.

METHODS: A total of 113 consecutive, histopathologically proven ...