Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 24, 2025
Combining Reflectance Confocal Microscopy with Optical Coherence Tomography for Noninvasive Diagnosis of Skin Cancers via Image Acquisition
Published on: August 18, 2022
The use of noninvasive imaging techniques in the diagnosis of melanoma: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study
A Nikolas MacLellan1, Emma L Price1, Pamela Publicover-Brouwer1
1Division of Clinical Dermatology and Cutaneous Science, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Background:
Early detection of melanoma is crucial to improving the detection of thin curable melanomas. Noninvasive, computer-assisted methods have been developed to use at the bedside to aid in diagnoses but have not been compared directly in a clinical setting.
Objective:
We conducted a prospective diagnostic accuracy study comparing a dermatologist's clinical examination at the bedside, teledermatology, and noninvasive imaging techniques (FotoFinder, MelaFind, and Verisante Aura).
Methods:
A total of 184 patients were recruited prospectively from an outpatient dermatology clinic, with lesions imaged, assessed, and excised. Skin specimens were assessed by 2 blinded pathologists, providing the gold standard comparison.
Results:
Fifty-nine lesions from 56 patients had a histopathologic diagnosis of melanoma, whereas 150 lesions from 128 patients were diagnosed as benign. Sensitivities and specificities were, respectively, MelaFind (82.5%, 52.4%), Verisante Aura (21.4%, 86.2%), and FotoFinder Moleanalyzer Pro (88.1%, 78.8%). The sensitivity and specificity of the teledermoscopist (84.5% and 82.6%, respectively) and local dermatologist (96.6% and 32.2%, respectively) were also compared.
Limitations:
There are inherent limitations in using pathology as the gold standard to compare sensitivities and specificities.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that the highest sensitivity and specificity of the instruments were established with the FotoFinder Moleanalyzer Pro, which could be a valuable tool to assist with, but not replace, clinical decision making.
