scholarly journals Impact of clinical and personal data in the dermoscopic differentiation between early melanoma and atypical nevi

2018 ◽  
pp. 324-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Tognetti ◽  
Elisa Cinotti ◽  
Elvira Moscarella ◽  
Francesca Farnetani ◽  
Josep Malvehy ◽  
...  

Background: Differential diagnosis of clinically atypical nevi (aN) and early melanomas (eMM) still represents a challenge even for experienced dermoscopists, as dermoscopy alone is not sufficient to adequately differentiate these equivocal melanocytic skin lesions (MSLs). Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate what were the most relevant parameters for noninvasive differential diagnosis between eMM and aN among clinical, personal, and dermoscopic data and to evaluate their impact as risk factors for malignancy. Methods: This was a retrospective study performed on 450 MSLs excised from 2014 to 2016 with a suspicion of malignancy. Dermoscopic standardized images of the 450 MSLs (300 aN and 150 eMM) were collected and evaluated. Patients’ personal data (ie, age, gender, body site, maximum diameter) were also recorded. Dermoscopic evaluations were performed by 5 different experts in dermoscopy blinded to histopathological diagnosis. Fleiss’ κ was calculated to measure concordance level between experts in the description of dermoscopic parameters for each MSL. The power of the studied variables in discriminating malignant from benign lesions was also investigated through F-statistics. Results: The variables age and maximum diameter supplied the highest discriminant power (F = 253 and 227, respectively). Atypical network, blue white veil and white shiny streaks were the most significant dermoscopic patterns suggestive of malignancy (F = 110, 104 and 99.5, respectively). Shiny white streaks was the only dermoscopic parameter to obtain satisfactory concordance value. Gender was not a discriminant factor. The specific statistical weight of clinical and personal data (ie, “patient’s age” and “lesion diameter”) surpassed those of atypical dermoscopic features. Conclusions: The objective clinical and personal data collected here could supply a fundamental contribution in the correct diagnosis of equivocal MSLs and should be included in diagnostic algorithms along with significant dermoscopic features (ie, atypical network, blue-white veil, and shiny white streaks)

2013 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Roberto Antonio ◽  
Rosa Maria Cordeiro Soubhia ◽  
Solange Corrêa Garcia Pires D'Avila ◽  
Adriana Cristina Caldas ◽  
Lívia Arroyo Trídico ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The incidence of cutaneous melanoma is increasing worldwide. Since it is an aggressive neoplasm, it is difficult to treat in advanced stages; early diagnosis is important to heal the patient. Melanocytic nevi are benign pigmented skin lesions while atypical nevi are associated with the risk of developing melanoma because they have a different histological pattern than common nevi. Thus, the clinical diagnosis of pigmented lesions is of great importance to differentiate benign, atypical and malignant lesions. Dermoscopy appeared as an auxiliary test in vivo, playing an important role in the diagnosis of pigmented lesions, because it allows the visualization of structures located below the stratum corneum. It shows a new morphological dimension of these lesions to the dermatologist and allows greater diagnostic accuracy. However, histopathology is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: To establish the sensitivity and specificity of dermoscopy in the diagnosis of pigmented lesions suspected of malignancy (atypical nevi), comparing both the dermatoscopic with the histopathological diagnosis, at the Dermatology Service of the outpatient clinic of Hospital de Base, São José do Rio Preto, SP. METHODS: Analysis of melanocytic nevi by dermoscopy and subsequent biopsy on suspicion of atypia or if the patient so desires, for subsequent histopathological diagnosis. RESULTS: Sensitivity: 93%. Specificity: 42%. CONCLUSIONS: Dermoscopy is a highly sensitive method for the diagnosis of atypical melanocytic nevi. Despite the low specificity with many false positive diagnoses, the method is effective for scanning lesions with suspected features of malignancy.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1048-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Diamantidis ◽  
Athena D. Myrou

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (PC-ALCL), belonging to the CD30+ T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (PCLPDs), is a rare T-cell lymphoma, presenting on the skin and characterized by very good prognosis and response to treatment in the majority of cases. Nevertheless, PC-ALCL must be distinguished from secondary skin lesions in systemic ALCL, which confer a poor prognosis, and other CD30+ PCLPDs, reactive conditions, or borderline cases. Given their rarity and heterogeneity, these entities represent diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, thus requiring a multidisciplinary approach and expertise to ensure appropriate diagnosis and management. There are several perils and pitfalls that exist regarding the differential diagnosis, the possible progression, and the treatment of PC-ALCL. Careful staging, correlation of clinical findings with histopathology and immunopathology, and thorough follow-up are essential in order to achieve a correct diagnosis and proper treatment of the disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Anca Stefanopol ◽  
Dumitru Marius Danila ◽  
Georgiana Bianca Constantin ◽  
Liliana Baroiu

Abstract BackgroundParaovarian cysts (POCs) are rarely seen among pediatric female patients. The diagnosis still represents a challenge. Giant POCs are exceedingly rare and only few cases have been reported in the literature.Case presentationA 17-year-old girl from the rural area presented with abdominal pain, pollakiuria and a giant abdomino-pelvic mass. Ultrasound and computed tomography revealed a 14cm x 24cm x 30cm anechoic unilocular cyst which raised the suspicion of a mesenteric or ovarian cyst. The correct diagnosis of left POC was established intraoperatory. Cystectomy was performed. Histopathological diagnosis was serous cystadenoma.DiscussionsPOCs become symptomatic when reach large sizes or complicate, the most feared complication being ovary torsion. Imagistic investigations can establish the diagnosis of cyst, but the cyst’s origin often remains an intraoperatory discovery. Surgical excision is necessary to decrease the risk of complications, and adnexal preservation is essential in pediatric patients. Even for pediatric female patients POC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic abdominal masses.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
P Vasekova ◽  
L Plank

Abstract Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) represent very heterogenous group of clonal stem cell bone marrow disorders with ineffective haematopoesis leading to cytopenias in peripheral blood and increased risk of blastic transformation and evolution of acute myeloid leukemia. MDS is a disease of older age mostly, in children it seems to be very rare. There are several significant morphological, cytogenetic and prognostic differencies of the disease in adults and in children. Adult MDS patients most commonly manifest with symptoms of anemia, bleeding and infection are uncommon. In childhood, MDS manifests predominantly by neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. In addition, some pediatric MDS patients present also with constitutional disease’s signs and symptoms. Early and correct diagnosis in both age groups is essential for the choice of appropriate therapy and also for next life of patients. However, the diagnosis of MDS is challenging, complex and requiring close correlation of clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters and standardized examination of BM biopsies. The authors present an overview focused on biology of MDS in adults and children, on the differences in the incidence, clinical presentation and treatment. They summarize the possibilities and limits of histopathological diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the disease in different age groups. A major problem in the morphological diagnosis of MDS remains the determination, whether the myelodysplasia is due to clonal disorder. It might result also from some other factors, as significant dysplasia can also occur in reactive conditions, and vice versa, only discrete dysplasia is sometimes observed in MDS patients. Although histomorphological and immunohistochemical analysis of BM biopsy is invasive and time-consuming examination, it has its value in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and evaluation of therapeutic effect.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Ekberg ◽  
Markus Reuber

There are many areas in medicine in which the diagnosis poses significant difficulties and depends essentially on the clinician’s ability to take and interpret the patient’s history. The differential diagnosis of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) is one such example, in particular the distinction between epilepsy and ‘psychogenic’ non-epileptic seizures (NES) is often difficult. A correct diagnosis is crucial because it determines the choice of treatment. Diagnosis is typically reliant on patients’ (and witnesses’) descriptions; however, conventional methods of history-taking focusing on the factual content of these descriptions are associated with relatively high rates of diagnostic errors. The use of linguistic methods (particularly conversation analysis) in research settings has demonstrated that these approaches can provide hints likely to be useful in the differentiation of epileptic and non-epileptic seizures. This paper explores to what extent (and under which conditions) the findings of these previous studies could be transposed from a research into a routine clinical setting.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix G. Gassert ◽  
Florian T. Gassert ◽  
Katja Specht ◽  
Carolin Knebel ◽  
Ulrich Lenze ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Small soft tissue masses are often falsely assumed to be benign and resected with failure to achieve tumor-free margins. Therefore, this study retrospectively investigated the distribution of histopathologic diagnosis to be encountered in small soft tissue tumors (≤ 5 cm) in a large series of a tertiary referral center. Methods Patients with a soft tissue mass (STM) with a maximum diameter of 5 cm presenting at our institution over a period of 10 years, who had undergone preoperative Magnetic resonance imaging and consequent biopsy or/and surgical resection, were included in this study. A final histopathological diagnosis was available in all cases. The maximum tumor diameter was determined on MR images by one radiologist. Moreover, tumor localization (head/neck, trunk, upper extremity, lower extremity, hand, foot) and depth (superficial / deep to fascia) were assessed. Results In total, histopathologic results and MR images of 1753 patients were reviewed. Eight hundred seventy patients (49.63%) showed a STM ≤ 5 cm and were therefore included in this study (46.79 +/− 18.08 years, 464 women). Mean maximum diameter of the assessed STMs was 2.88 cm. Of 870 analyzed lesions ≤ 5 cm, 170 (19.54%) were classified as superficial and 700 (80.46%) as deep. The malignancy rate of all lesions ≤ 5 cm was at 22.41% (superficial: 23.53% / deep: 22.14%). The malignancy rate dropped to 16.49% (20.79% / 15.32%) when assessing lesions ≤ 3 cm (p = 0.007) and to 15.0% (18.18% / 13.79%) when assessing lesions ≤ 2 cm (p = 0.006). Overall, lipoma was the most common benign lesion of superficial STMs (29.41%) and tenosynovial giant cell tumor was the most common benign lesion of deep STMs (23.29%). Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was the most common malignant diagnosis among both, superficial (5.29%) and deep (3.57%) STMs. Conclusions The rate of malignancy decreased significantly with tumor size in both, superficial and deep STMs. The distribution of entities was different between superficial and deep STMs, yet there was no significant difference found in the malignancy rate.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 636
Author(s):  
Masato Tanaka ◽  
Sumeet Sonawane ◽  
Koji Uotani ◽  
Yoshihiro Fujiwara ◽  
Kittipong Sessumpun ◽  
...  

Background: Percutaneous biopsy under computed tomography (CT) guidance is a standard technique to obtain a definitive diagnosis when spinal tumors, metastases or infections are suspected. However, specimens obtained using a needle are sometimes inadequate for correct diagnosis. This report describes a unique biopsy technique which is C-arm free O-arm navigated using microforceps. This has not been previously described as a biopsy procedure. Case description: A 74-year-old man with T1 vertebra pathology was referred to our hospital with muscle weakness of the right hand, clumsiness and cervicothoracic pain. CT-guided biopsy was performed, but histopathological diagnosis could not be obtained due to insufficient tissue. The patient then underwent biopsy under O-arm navigation, so we could obtain sufficient tissue and small cell carcinoma was diagnosed on histopathological examination. A patient later received chemotherapy and radiation. Conclusions: C-arm free O-arm navigated biopsy is an effective technique for obtaining sufficient material from spine pathologies. Tissue from an exact pathological site can be obtained with 3-D images. This new O-arm navigation biopsy may provide an alternative to repeat CT-guided or open biopsy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1232-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Clarysse ◽  
M. Grosber ◽  
J. Ring ◽  
J. Gutermuth ◽  
C. Kivlahan

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Sáenz ◽  
Mónica Paola Novoa ◽  
Darío Correal ◽  
Bell Raj Eapen

Background. The use of mobile applications in dermatology to support remote diagnosis is gaining acceptance, particularly in rural areas, where dermatology services are commonly managed by healthcare personnel with no specialty training. Moreover, ontologies—sets of concepts that represent knowledge in a given domain—are increasingly being used to support medical diagnosis. A specific case is ONTODerm: an ontology to aid dermatological diagnosis. However, there is little information on the combined use of mobile applications and ontologies as support solutions in dermatology. Objective. Assessing the reliability of ONTODerm as a tool to support remote dermatological diagnosis when used together with a mobile dermatological application in underprivileged areas. Methods. A mobile application that allows characterization of skin lesions was developed, and the information about the lesions was sent to ONTODerm. An exploratory study was conducted in a remote area without access to a dermatologist. A total of 64 dermatological queries were recorded in the application and consulted with ONTODerm. Later, an experienced dermatologist evaluated the characterization and diagnosis of each query to determine the accuracy of the system. Results. The results showed that the probability of obtaining a correct diagnosis was between 64.4% and 85.6% with a confidence interval of 95%. A higher accuracy rate was obtained when the skin lesion occurred on the face or when its border was categorized as poorly demarcated. Conclusions. This study demonstrates the implementation of a teledermatology strategy based on mobile applications and domain ontology-driven knowledge base to provide timely assistance to healthcare professionals. This approach was found to be pertinent in the Colombian rural context, particularly in forest regions, where dermatology specialists are not available. The results of this article do not represent a final validation of the proposed approach; they suggest how the ontology can be improved to effectively support medical staff in marginalized regions.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-463
Author(s):  
Gary L. Darmstadt

Genital warts are common relative to other verrucous lesions of the anogenital region. Consideration of the differential diagnosis of verrucous anogenital lesions is necessary, however, to make a correct diagnosis consistently and to avoid futile, painful, and possibly traumatic attempts at treatment. In this report, I describe a child with a history suspicious for sexual abuse who was treated with inappropriate measures because of misdiagnosis of perianal lymphangioma circumscriptum as genital warts. The pathogenesis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of lymphangioma is presented. CASE REPORT A 5-year-old Hispanic boy was referred by his pediatrician to the Dermatology Service with an eruption of red papules on the left buttock and perianal region.


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