New imaging techniques have improved the diagnostic accuracy of most common skin cancers

According to a new study presented at the 31st Congress of the European Society of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases (EADV), a new imaging technique significantly improves the accuracy of the diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common skin cancer

The study found that using a new non-invasive skin imaging technique called linear field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT), it provides detailed 3D images at the cellular level, significantly improving the accuracy

In differentiating between basal cell carcinoma and basal cell mold carcinoma (e.

Importantly, when distinguishing superficial basal cell carcinoma (a subtype that can be treated non-surgically) from other subtypes of basal cell carcinoma, the use of LC-OCT improved diagnostic accuracy by 12% (from 80% to 92%)

The study also produced a diagnostic algorithm that helps guide clinicians in the diagnosis of different basal cell carcinoma and basal cell mimicr subtypes

Researchers in the Department of Dermatology at H?pital Erasme Université libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium, analyzed 303 lesions in the study, including 173 basal cell carcinoma and 130 basal cell carcinoma mimicrs

Professor Mariano Suppa, principal investigator and consultant in dermatology from Italy, said: "Our findings show that LC-OCT is able to make a more accurate diagnosis when faced with unclear lesions of basal cell carcinoma, therefore, it should be included in the diagnosis and management

Professor Suppa explains: "LC-OCT has the potential to reduce the number of

BCC is a type of skin cancer that is mainly caused

Professor Supa said: "Diagnosing basal cell carcinoma by clinical or dermoscopic assessment alone is challenging and it is crucial

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a time-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) based imaging technique

All lesions in this study were imaged using LC-OCT devices prior to surgical resection

Table 1: Diagnostic performance parameters to distinguish between basal cell carcinoma and basal cell mimicrs

Table 2: Diagnostic performance parameters to distinguish superficial basal cell carcinoma from other subtypes of basal cell carcinoma

References

1. Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography For Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study On Diagnostic Performance, presented at EADV Congress 2022

2. Insight into the number of patients diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma in the Netherlands and an estimation of future numbers.
   Schreuder et al.
   British Journal of Dermatology/ Volume 186 Issue 3/p476-484.
    British Journal of Dermatology: Vol 186, No 3 (wiley.
   com)

3. Basal Cell Carcinoma, European Skin Cancer Foundation.
     

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