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Dynamic optical coherence tomography shows characteristic alterations of blood vessels in malignant melanoma
Author(s) -
Welzel J.,
Schuh S.,
De Carvalho N.,
Themstrup L.,
Ulrich M.,
Jemec G.B.E.,
Holmes J.,
Pellacani G.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/jdv.17080
Subject(s) - medicine , melanoma , optical coherence tomography , stage (stratigraphy) , blood vessel , pathology , radiology , paleontology , cancer research , biology
Background Dynamic optical coherence tomography (D‐OCT) allows in vivo visualization of blood vessels in the skin and in malignant tumours. Vessel patterns in malignant melanoma may be associated with tumour stage. Objective The aim of this study was to describe blood vessel patterns in melanomas and to correlate them with stage. Methods One hundred fifty‐nine malignant melanomas were assessed in a multicentre study. Every tumour was imaged using D‐OCT prior to surgery and histologic evaluation. The tumour data such as thickness and ulceration as well as the staging at primary diagnosis and a follow‐up of at least 40 months resulted in a stage classification. The vessel patterns were assessed according to predefined categories, compared with healthy adjacent skin, and correlated to stage. Results Melanomas contained more blood vessels in different patterns compared with healthy adjacent skin. In particular, irregular vascular shapes such as blobs, coils, curves and serpiginous vessels were more common in melanomas. In addition, these patterns were significantly more often found in high‐risk and metastatic melanomas than in low‐risk lesions. Conclusion In melanomas, the density of the blood vessels is increased, and irregular vascular patterns are more frequent. At higher stages, especially in metastatic melanomas, these atypical vessels are significantly more common.