Detectie en subtypering van het basaalcelcarcinoom met optical coherence tomografie: een prospectieve cohortstudie

Introduction To date, the diagnosis and subtype of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is verified by histopathology by means of a skin biopsy. However, non-invasive diagnostic strategies such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) enable detailed examination of skin tissue architecture and may be used to identify BCC. In this study, the diagnostic accuracy and level of confidence in detection and subtyping of BCC by OCT was evaluated. Materials & methods In this prospective observational study, OCT imaging was used for all lesions suspected for non-melanoma skin cancer or pre-malignancy that were biopsied to confirm the diagnosis at our outpatient Dermatology clinic. Decisions on treatment were guided by clinical examination and biopsy conform standard care. The OCT images were assessed by two investigators, blinded to the histological diagnosis. Diagnostic accuracy and certainty of clinical diagnosis alone was compared to the diagnostic accuracy and certainty of the combination of clinical diagnosis and OCT imaging, using histopathological diagnosis of the biopsy specimen as the gold standard. Aim of the study The aim of the study is to investigate the diagnostic value of OCT in addition to clinical examination for the detection and subtyping of BCC. Diagnostic parameters such as the sensitivity, specificity, positive- and negative predictive value were evaluated.