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Updated: Apr 25, 2026
Quantitative Visualization and Detection of Skin Cancer Using Dynamic Thermal Imaging
Published on: May 5, 2011
Modification of a melanoma discrimination index derived from hyperspectral data: a clinical trial conducted in 2
T Nagaoka1, Y Kiyohara2, H Koga3
1Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
Background:
The morphology of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) is predominantly a result of varying concentrations and distributions of pigmented molecules such as melanin and hemoglobin. Based on these differences and the fact that their information is contained in cutaneous spectra, a hyperspectral imager (HSI) for pigmented melanoma and a single discrimination index derived from the resultant hyperspectral data are proposed.
Objective:
To develop and evaluate a new discrimination index for melanomas, compared to the previous index.
Methods:
A HSI, which is convenient for both patients and clinicians, was newly developed and used in a clinical trial conducted in 2 centers with 80 patients with primary lesions and 17 volunteers between March 2011 and December 2013. There were 24 melanomas and 110 other PSLs. A previously proposed discrimination index was used without modifications. A new index, which emphasized the essential features of melanoma, was proposed, and its performance was examined. For each index, a threshold value was set to minimize the average value of the false positive and false negative fractions. The performances of both indices were compared.
Results:
The sensitivity and specificity of the old index were 75% and 97%, respectively, while those of the new index were 96% and 87%.
Conclusion:
The new index had a higher sensitivity and adequate specificity, indicating that it is more useful than the old index.
