Analysis of dermoscopic changes of blue nevi on digital follow-up: A 21-year retrospective cohort study

BackgroundBlue nevi are benign dermal melanocytic proliferations that are often easy to recognize clinically. Rarely, these lesions can display atypical features, suggesting the presence of a malignant blue nevus or mimicking cutaneous metastases of melanoma. ObjectiveTo describe the clinical evolution of blue nevi over time and to assess the need for monitoring these lesions. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 103 patients who were followed between December 1998 and November 2019. An artificial intelligence algorithm was used to identify blue nevi from the databases of two digital epiluminescence devices. Changes in the area of each lesion were calculated with a segmentation neural network. ResultsWe included 123 blue nevi from 103 patients. Most of the lesions segmented, 99 (91.7%), were considered stable. Of the 9 (8.3%) growing blue nevi identified, 2 (1.85%) showed significant growth. The studied growing blue nevi turned out to be cellular blue nevi, presented with a low tumour mutation burden and GNAQ c.626A>T alteration was identified in both lesions. LimitationsSome clinical variants of blue nevi might not be included. ConclusionsMost blue nevi remain stable during their evolution. Rarely, they can show progressive growth, although histopathological or molecular signs of malignancy have not been identified.

Automated summary

This study described the clinical evolution of blue nevi over time and assessed the need for monitoring these lesions. Using an artificial intelligence algorithm and neural network, it was found that most blue nevi remain stable during their evolution, while a small percentage may show growth.