Three-dimensional reconstruction of basal cell carcinomas

BACKGROUND. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer. One of the main problems with BCC is the risk of local recurrence of the tumor after treatment. This is mainly due to its irregular outgrowths, which cannot be detected clinically. OBJECTIVE. To better understand the tumor morphology and growth pattern of BCC, we tried to develop a method that provides a precise three-dimensional model of the tumor. METHODS. Because Mohs surgery provides the best overview of the tumor and the tumor margins (both lateral and in depth), the reconstruction was based on slides from Mohs surgery. After digitization and processing of the slides, the tumor was then surrounded by a Mohs surgeon on a computer screen. These selections (lines) were used for a three-dimensional reconstruction of the tumor using MedSurf3D software. RESULTS. This method allows three-dimensional reconstruction of any given BCC. The MedSurf3D software enables visualization of a three-dimensional model of the tissue, which is removed during the surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS. Three-dimensional reconstruction is a fascinating tool that might improve our understanding of the behavior, growth pattern, and tumor morphology of BCCs. This technique might also be useful in other fields of cutaneous oncology, such as the calculation of the tumor volume of melanomas.