Reflectance Confocal Microscopy Mapping of LMM Corresponds with Staged Excision
Source: Physician’s Weekly, March 2023
The following is a summary of “Lentigo maligna melanoma mapping using reflectance confocal microscopy correlates with staged excision: A prospective study,” published in the FEBRUARY 2023 issue of Dermatology by Dechent, et al.
Incomplete excision and possible recurrence might result from lentigo maligna/lentigo maligna melanoma (LM/LMM) when it presents with subclinical extension, which can be challenging to diagnose preoperatively. The LM/LMM boundaries have been evaluated in preliminary experiments using reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). For a study, researchers sought to assess the relationship between the LM/LMM subclinical extension determined by RCM and the gold standard histopathology.
It was prospective research on LM/LMM patients referred for dermatological surgery. Histopathology and RCM results were correlated after a margin-controlled stepwise excision with paraffin-embedded tissue was conducted at the clinically determined initial surgical margin.