[Actinic keratosis: diagnostic difficulties and misinterpretation]

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Oncology

Context:

• Actinic keratosis (AK) diagnosis is prone to errors, despite appearing straightforward.
• These diagnostic errors, though often without immediate harm, can have significant implications.

Purpose:

• To review common diagnostic errors in actinic keratosis (AK).
• To present simple rules for reducing misdiagnosis of AK and related conditions.

Summary:

• Frequent diagnostic errors occur in actinic keratosis (AK), including over- or under-diagnosis.
• A key risk involves misclassifying invasive carcinoma, particularly lentigo maligna, as AK.
• Misinterpreting the nosology of AK can lead to potentially harmful patient management.

Impact:

• Reducing diagnostic errors improves patient safety and treatment efficacy for actinic keratosis.
• Accurate AK diagnosis prevents unnecessary treatment and avoids overlooking serious conditions like invasive carcinoma.