Thermal Injury Producing Melanoma-Like Features on Reflectance Confocal Microscopy
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Combining Reflectance Confocal Microscopy with Optical Coherence Tomography for Noninvasive Diagnosis of Skin Cancers via Image Acquisition
Published on: August 18, 2022
Noa Kremer1,2, Isabella N Dana3, Miguel Cordova3
1Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
Objectives:
Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) improves diagnostic specificity for equivocal pigmented lesions; however, certain conditions may mimic melanoma and limit its accuracy. We aimed to characterize RCM features of thermally injured lesions that mimic melanoma.
Methods:
We present three cases of pigmented lesions with recent thermal injury, including burn, cryotherapy, and laser exposure. Clinical, dermoscopic, and RCM findings were evaluated. Given the recent history of injury, lesions were monitored with serial follow-up at 1, 3, and 6 months to assess evolution and guide management.
Results:
Thermal injury produced architectural and cytological changes on RCM that mimicked melanoma, including epidermal and dermoepidermal junction disarray, pagetoid-like cells, bright inflammatory cells, and dermal stromal alterations. These findings were observed shortly after thermal injury and were consistent across different injury types and anatomic sites. The integration of clinical history with serial follow-up demonstrated progressive resolution of atypical features in all cases, supporting a benign etiology and allowing avoidance of biopsy.
Conclusions:
Thermal injury is an important and reversible melanoma mimicker on RCM. Recognition of this diagnostic pitfall, combined with careful clinical correlation and short-term follow-up, may improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce unnecessary biopsies, and support more confident management of these lesions.
