According to a study, an unique imaging technology diagnosed nonmelanoma skin tumours with good sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.
“We are interested in attempting to increase clinical throughput and provide patients with a speedier diagnosis,” said Michael G. Giacomelli, PhD, of the University of Rochester’s biomedical engineering department and one of the paper’s authors. “Biopsying patients, waiting days or weeks for lab findings, and then rescheduling them if treatment is needed is time-consuming and inefficient.”
Examining skin
Nonmelanoma skin malignancies were diagnosed with great sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy using a novel imaging approach.
The researchers found that paraffin section histologic examination of skin biopsy specimens is the most common method for diagnosing nonmelanoma skin malignancies (NMSCs).
NMSC and other diseases may be diagnosed at the point of treatment using two-photon fluorescence microscopy (TPFM). Giacomelli described the method.
In the comparative effectiveness pilot investigation, Giacomelli and colleagues analysed 29 fresh biopsy specimens from verified NMSC lesions. TPFM was utilised to examine specimens on site, and paraffin histology produced co-registered pictures.
October 2019–August 2021 was the study’s duration.
12 co-registered picture pairs were used for training, while 15 were assessed by a qualified dermatologist. Two were eliminated.
Compared to paraffin histology, TPFM’s sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for NMSC samples were of interest.
14 of 15 samples in the evaluation set were identically diagnosed using both techniques.
TPFM had 100% sensitivity (48%-100%), 100% specificity (69%-100%), and 100% accuracy (78%-100%) in identifying basal cell carcinoma.
For squamous cell cancer samples, the innovative technique had 89% sensitivity (95% CI, 52%-100%), 100% specificity (95%, 54%-100%), and 93% accuracy (95%, 68%-100%).
According to the data, TPFM had 93% sensitivity (95% CI, 66%-100%), 100% specificity (95%, 3%-100%), and 93% accuracy (95%, 68%-100%) for NMSC diagnosis.
Journal Reference
Ching-Roa VD, Huang CZ, Ibrahim SF, Smoller BR, Giacomelli MG. Real-time Analysis of Skin Biopsy Specimens With 2-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy. JAMA Dermatol. 2022;158(10):1175–1182. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2022.3628