Melanoma and Nevi Subtype Histopathological Characterization with Optical Coherence Tomography

Background: Melanoma incidence has continued to rise in the latest decades, and the forecast is not optimistic. Non-invasive diagnostic imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) are largely studied; however, there is still no agreement on its use for the diagnosis of melanoma. For dermatologists, the differentiation of non-invasive (junctional nevus, compound nevus, intradermal nevus, and melanoma in-situ) versus invasive (superficial spreading melanoma and nodular melanoma) lesions is the key issue in their daily routine. Methods: This work performs a comparative analysis of OCT images using haematoxylin-eosin (HE) and anatomopathological features identified by a pathologist. Then, optical and textural properties are extracted from OCT images with the aim to identify subtle features that could potentially maximize the usefulness of the imaging technique in the identification of the lesion's potential invasiveness. Results: Preliminary features reveal differences discriminating melanoma in-situ from superficial spreading melanoma and also between melanoma and nevus subtypes that pose a promising baseline for further research. Conclusions: Answering the final goal of diagnosing non-invasive versus invasive lesions with OCT does not seem feasible in the short term, but the obtained results demonstrate a step forward to achieve this.

Automated summary

The use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the diagnosis of melanoma is still controversial. This study compares OCT images with histopathological features and extracts optical and textural properties to identify subtle features that could enhance the usefulness of OCT in identifying the invasiveness of the lesion. Preliminary findings show promise in discriminating melanoma in-situ and superficial spreading melanoma, as well as differentiating melanoma from nevus subtypes, providing a basis for further research.