Application of parelectric spectroscopy to detect skin cancer—A pilot study

Abstract

Background The early detection of skin cancer is still challenging and calls for objective, fast diagnostic, and ideally non‐invasive methods in order to leave the potentially malignant tumor cells unaltered. In this paper, the parelectric spectroscopy was applied to evaluate the potential of a non‐invasive detection of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and malignant melanoma. Materials and Methods A prototype of parelectric spectroscopy was used to investigate non‐invasively dipole density and mobility of suspicious skin lesions. The differences in investigated tissue were analyzed compared to pathohistological findings in a clinical study on 51 patients with suspected BCC and malignant melanoma. Results The non‐invasive parelectric spectroscopy could differentiate between normal skin, BCC, and melanoma but failed to distinguish between different types of skin cancer. The data were normalized to unsuspected nearby skin because the different skin locations influence dipole density and mobility. Conclusion The results of the pilot study indicate that the parelectric spectroscopy might be an additional, useful non‐invasive diagnostic procedure to distinguish between normal skin and skin cancer.

Comparative Analysis of Diagnostic Techniques for Melanoma Detection: A Systematic Review of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies and Meta-Analysis

“…A study (65) detailing the performance of a multitiered system of decision support system reported that the inclusion of the EIS score in clinical decision making led to a reduction in the number of unneeded biopsies and that the amount of the reduction depends on a clinician's experience, i.e., 14.8% for resident, 16.8% for midlevel, and 16% for practicing dermatologist. More recently, a paraelectric spectroscopy technology has been used for skin cancer application in a correlational study (64).…”

Automatic detection of basal cell carcinoma by hyperspectral imaging

“…However, clinical examination depends on experience, even when it is enhanced by dermoscopy [2]. Some new optical methods have been tested and introduced in clinical practice in order to facilitate a more accurate diagnosis, Raman spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography being the most used [3], while many others like hyperspectral imaging (HSI) [4] or parelectric spectroscopy [5] are still in the experimental stage. These methods need trained personnel in order to add more accuracy to clinical examination.…”