Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov;95(6):1441-1445.
doi: 10.1111/php.13140. Epub 2019 Aug 24.

Optical Spectroscopy as a Method for Skin Cancer Risk Assessment

Eladio Rodriguez-Diaz  1 , Danielle Manolakos  2 , Holly Christman  3   4 , Michael A Bonning  4   5 , John K Geisse  3   6 , Ousama M A'Amar  1 , David J Leffell  7 , Irving J Bigio  1   8
Affiliations

Optical Spectroscopy as a Method for Skin Cancer Risk Assessment

Eladio Rodriguez-Diaz et al. Photochem Photobiol. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer, and its assessment remains a challenge for physicians. This study reports the application of an optical sensing method, elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS), coupled with a classifier that was developed with machine learning, to assist in the discrimination of skin lesions that are concerning for malignancy. The method requires no special skin preparation, is non-invasive, easy to administer with minimal training, and allows rapid lesion classification. This novel approach was tested for all common forms of skin cancer. ESS spectra from a total of 1307 lesions were analyzed in a multi-center, non-randomized clinical trial. The classification algorithm was developed on a 950-lesion training dataset, and its diagnostic performance was evaluated against a 357-lesion testing dataset that was independent of the training dataset. The observed sensitivity was 100% (14/14) for melanoma and 94% (105/112) for non-melanoma skin cancer. The overall observed specificity was 36% (84/231). ESS has potential, as an adjunctive assessment tool, to assist physicians to differentiate between common benign and malignant skin lesions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Wilson, R. L., B. A. Yentzer, S. P. Isom, S. R. Feldman and A. B. Jr Fleischer (2012) How good are US dermatologists at discriminating skin cancers? A number-needed-to-treat analysis J. Dermatolog. Treat. 23, 65-69.
    1. Argenziano, G., L. Cerroni, I. Zalaudek, S. Staibano, R. Hofmann-Wellenhof, N. Arpaia, R. M. Bakos, B. Balme, J. Bandic, R. Bandelloni and A. M. Brunasso (2012) Accuracy in melanoma detection: A 10-year multicenter survey. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 67, 54-59.
    1. Robertson, F. M. and L. Fitzgerald (2017) Skin cancer in the youth population of the United Kingdom. J. Cancer Policy 12, 67-71.
    1. Lomas, A., J. Leonardi-Bee and F. Bath-Hextall (2012) A systematic review of worldwide incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Br. J. Dermatol. 166, 1069-1080.
    1. Ackermann, E., D. Askew, I. D. Williams, P. Byrnes and G. K. Mitchell (2007) Management of skin cancer in Australia: A comparison of general practice and skin cancer clinics. Aust. Fam. Physician 36, 1073-1075.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources