Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Nov 29;14(23):5886.
doi: 10.3390/cancers14235886.

Diagnostics Using Non-Invasive Technologies in Dermatological Oncology

Simone Soglia  1   2 , Javiera Pérez-Anker  1 , Nelson Lobos Guede  1 , Priscila Giavedoni  1 , Susana Puig  1 , Josep Malvehy  1
Affiliations
Review

Diagnostics Using Non-Invasive Technologies in Dermatological Oncology

Simone Soglia et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

The growing incidence of skin cancer, with its associated mortality and morbidity, has in recent years led to the developing of new non-invasive technologies, which allow an earlier and more accurate diagnosis. Some of these, such as digital photography, 2D and 3D total-body photography and dermoscopy are now widely used and others, such as reflectance confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography, are limited to a few academic and referral skin cancer centers because of their cost or the long training period required. Health care professionals involved in the treatment of patients with skin cancer need to know the implications and benefits of new non-invasive technologies for dermatological oncology. In this article we review the characteristics and usability of the main diagnostic imaging methods available today.

Keywords: LC-OCT; OCT; RCM; artificial intelligence; diagnostics; high frequency ultrasound; imaging; imaging techniques; skin cancer; total body photography (TBP).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Superficial and infiltrating basal cell carcinoma in the left arm was studied with different techniques. Tumor presence (yellow triangles). The vascular pattern is represented with green triangles: (a) Clinical image; (b) Dermoscopy; (c) OCT showing superficial and infiltrating basal cell carcinoma (blue square). The tumor surface is perceived (superior left). Dermoscopy area scanned (center). The vascular pattern can also be observed in 3 D (superior right); (d) The same tumoral islands are observed in ultrasound (left). The addition of the Doppler image reveals the complete tumor invasion (right); (e) The elastography shows the denser area corresponding to the tumor (blue triangle). Ultrasound image courtesy of Dr. Priscila Giavedoni.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The same superficial and infiltrating basal cell carcinoma in the left arm also studied with LC-OCT and RCM. Tumor presence (yellow triangles). Blue and red lines are the same area represented in the vertical (blue) and horizontal (red) view of LC-OCT: (a) Dermoscopy; (b) Vertical view of LC-OCT; (c) Vertical view of the tumor islands in LC-OCT; (d) The same area observed in the horizontal view of LC-OCT; (e) 3D view at the same level; (f) RCM revealing superficial and infiltrating basal cell carcinoma; (g) RCM tumoral details of the superficial component of the basal cell carcinoma.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Total body photography. VECTRA WD 360. CANFIELD ®3-Dimensional.Each selected lesion receives a number. Lesion “3” (blue arrow) is amplified as an example of the magnification: (a) 3D total body reconstruction; (b) Selected area to be analyzed; (c) Melanocytic nevus in follow up; (d) Macroscopic view of the selected nevus in the screen. Red circle shows the nevus in follow up; (e) Image magnification of the selected nevus. Details in blue squares.
Figure 4
Figure 4
2-Dimensional photography. DermagraPhix®. The selected area also includes a dermatoscopic view, with an artificial intelligence score.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Dermoscopic image of a squamous cell carcinoma of the helix. The presence of yellow-white, amorphous areas of keratin (blue asterisk) and hairpin vessels (green triangles) help the clinician in the diagnosis of this squamous cell carcinoma: (a) Dermoscopic image; (b) Magnification of the vascular component.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Melanoma in situ (left arm): (a) Clinic picture; (b) Dermoscopic image. Blue triangle: black structureless area. Yellow triangle: gray structureless area; (c) Dermoscopic detail of structureless areas.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Melanoma in situ on the thigh of a 65-year-old woman: (a) Asymmetric, polychrome pigmented lesion with irregular borders; (b) Dermoscopic image. Some melanomas show very subtle dermoscopic changes, such as focal color alterations; (c) Mosaic of in vivo confocal image. The image was taken at the level of the dermoepidermal junction/upper dermis and shows a ringed pattern focally disrupted (red asterisk); (d) Confocal image of the same lesion at the level of the basal layer of the epidermis. The presence of large, bright, dendritic cells with evident nucleus (blue triangles) makes the excision of the lesion necessary.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Melanoma in three different imaging techniques: (a) Clinical picture; (b) Dermoscopic image; (c) Reflectance confocal microscopy: cellular atypia (blue arrow) and dendritic cells (green arrow); (d) 3D block of LC-OCT: irregular epidermis (yellow arrow), disruption of the dermoepidermal junction (red arrow), atypical nests with atypical (blue arrow) and dendritic cells (green arrow).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Ex vivo confocal microscopy of infiltrating basal cell carcinoma with peri neural invasion. Image captured with VIVASCOPE 2500®: (a) Yellow arrow: Tumor islands; Green arrow: Stromal reaction; Blue star: Hair follicle; (b) Green star: Nerve; Yellow arrow: Tumor islands; Blue star: eccrine ducts.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Ex vivo confocal microscopy of infiltrating peri glandular basal cell carcinoma. Image captured with VIVASCOPE 2500®: Yellow arrow: Tumor islands; Blue star: Eccrine glands.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Melanoma in situ on the scalp of a 46-year-old man: (a) Dermoscopic image. Asymmetric lesion characterized by two areas of different color, within which it is possible to recognize some asymmetrical globules and blue-gray structures; (b) Vertical section. A predominantly preserved and recognizable dermoepidermal junction. In the epidermis, it is possible to recognize some atypical, bright melanocytic cells both single (red arrow) and aggregated in nests (blue triangle); (c) Horizontal section. Large nests of melanocytes of different sizes and shapes at the dermoepidermal junction (red arrows); (d) 3D reconstruction. This section makes it easier to understand the arrangements of ridges and nests. Note the presence, very high in the epidermis, of single melanocytes (red arrow) and nests (blue triangle). Detail in blue square.
Figure 12
Figure 12
High-frequency ultrasound. A probe of 18 MHz: (a) Superficial basal cell carcinoma (yellow arrow); (b) Doppler image (yellow arrow) around the basal cell carcinoma. Image courtesy of Dr. Priscila Giavedoni.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Electrical impedance spectroscopy. Nevisense®: (a) Device; (b) Technique; (c) Impedance of the lesion; (d) Final score and risk for malignancy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Simões M.C.F., Sousa J.J.S., Pais A.A.C.C. Skin cancer and new treatment perspectives: A review. Cancer Lett. 2015;357:8–42. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2014.11.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Leiter U., Eigentler T., Garbe C. Epidemiology of skin cancer. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 2014;810:120–140. - PubMed
    1. Schneider S.L., Kholi I., Iltefat H., Hamzavi I.H., Council M.L., Rossi M.R., Ozog D.M. Emerging imaging technologies in dermatology: Part II: Basic prinicples. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2019;80:1114–1120. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.042. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schneider S.L., Kholi I., Iltefat H., Hamzavi I.H., Council M.L., Rossi M.R., Ozog D.M. Emerging imaging technologies in dermatology: Part I: Applications and limitations. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2019;80:1121–1131. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.043. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Garbe C., Amaral T., Peris K., Hauschild A., Arenberger P., Basset-Seguin N., Bastholt L., Bataille V., Del Marmol V., Dréno B., et al. European Dermatology Forum (EDF), the European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). European consensus-based interdisciplinary guideline for melanoma. Part 1: Diagnostics: Update 2022. Eur. J. Cancer. 2022;170:236–255. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources