Systematic review of optical coherence tomography usage in the diagnosis and management of basal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging tool used in vivo in real time for diagnosis, treatment delineation and monitoring of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Features of BCC on OCT have been widely described and reviewed. However, the diagnostic accuracy of OCT in these various applications is unclear. We systematically reviewed the literature to assess the accuracy of OCT in diagnosis and management of BCC using the Embase and Medline databases. In total 179 unique references were identified in the initial search, of which 22 studies with 556 histologically proven BCCs were eligible. Assessment of the quality of eligible studies was undertaken using the STROBE criteria. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by the two authors. This systematic review provides an overview of the clinical applications of OCT in the diagnosis and management of BCC. OCT has been suggested to be useful in the diagnosis, treatment planning and treatment monitoring of BCC. As the technology improves and its utility increases, further studies with good methodological quality will be needed to implement OCT into daily practice.

Evaluation of a Combined Reflectance Confocal Microscopy–Optical Coherence Tomography Device for Detection and Depth Assessment of Basal Cell Carcinoma

“…The RCM features included: cord-like structures, tumor nests, palisading, streaming, dark peri-tumoral rim (clefting), stroma with plump cells and bright dots, and horizontal vessels, 13,14,16,27–29 while OCT features were: hyporeflective/gray structures attached to the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ), disruption of the DEJ, hyporeflective/gray ovoid structures in the dermis, dark peri-tumoral rim (clefting), hyper-reflective peritumoral stroma, hyper-reflective streaks and branched vessels. 12,30–32 …”

“…12–20 Additionally, OCT can accurately detect depth. 21–23 However, each technology, when used independently, cannot provide comprehensive information to guide both diagnosis and treatment.…”

Optical coherence tomography of basal cell carcinoma: influence of location, subtype, observer variability and image quality on diagnostic performance

“…Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is gaining acceptance as a useful device to aid in the diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Several studies have been published demonstrating that OCT improves diagnostic accuracy compared with clinical and dermoscopic methods alone . For example, the baseline results in a previous report of our study are reproduced in Table …”

“…Several studies have been published demonstrating that OCT improves diagnostic accuracy compared with clinical and dermoscopic methods alone. [1][2][3][4][5] For example, the baseline results in a previous report of our study are reproduced in Table 1. 4 However, further work is required to determine the key factors that affect diagnostic performance with OCT, the most useful OCT image markers, interobserver variability, and the potential to identify reliably and accurately BCC subtypes.…”

Is a punch biopsy reliable in subtyping basal cell carcinoma? A systematic review

“…More and more studies are investigating the diagnostic accuracy of clinical diagnosis, as well as upcoming noninvasive imaging modalities such as optical coherence tomography, Raman spectroscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) for BCCs . In addition, our research group is currently conducting a multicentre randomized controlled trial to compare punch biopsy with one‐stop‐shop RCM imaging in diagnosing and subtyping BCC .…”