Dynamic Dermoscopic & RCM Changes of Melanocytic Lesions Excised During Follow-Up

Source: Physician’ Weekly, April 2022

Digital dermoscopy follow-up (DDF) can help with melanoma recognition, detect early changes over time, and identify nevi that are benign. Increased accuracy and fewer needless operations are among the benefits of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). To assess the influence of adjunctive RCM to DDF for melanoma diagnosis on dynamic dermoscopic and RCM changes in equivocal melanocytic lesions over time. An extrafacial atypical melanocytic lesion excision study was conducted retrospectively. Morphological changes were assessed as dermoscopy and RCM baseline and follow-up photographs compared. Almost all of them (92 out of 100) were non-melanoma skin cancers. However, roughly 14% had already been verified by another method as melanomas. Melanomas had significantly greater changes in DDF of atypical network, regression, atypical streaks, and asymmetrical growth as well as dynamic RCM of atypical cells and dermal-epidermal junction disarray.With the addition of dynamic RCM and significant changes at DDF, sensitivity rose to 100% with a 40.6% accuracy. Selected series of hard-to-spot lesions, including both DDF and dynamic RCM pictures. Adjunctive dynamic RCM improved melanoma detection sensitivity in early stages.

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