title: Colour clusters for computer diagnosis of melanocytic lesions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To overcome subjectivity and variability in the interpretation of dermoscopic images, image analysis programs, enabling the numerical description of melanocytic lesion images, have been developed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to assess a method for the description of colours in melanocytic lesion images, based on the subdivision of image colours into red, green and blue clusters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Melanomas and naevi of the test set were described by means of 23 colour clusters previously selected by a training set comprising 369 melanocytic lesion images. The diagnostic performance obtained by this automated method was compared to sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis of 4 dermatologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Colour cluster values significantly differed between melanomas and naevi. Moreover, sensitivity and specificity values of computer diagnosis were similar to those achieved by the dermatologists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our image analysis program based on the assessment of one single parameter has the diagnostic accuracy of dermatologists employing dermoscopy on a regular basis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seidenari
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grana
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellacani
mesh_terms: D003116:Color; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology