Hyperspectroscopic screening of melanoma on acral volar skin.
OBJECTIVE
Early detection and proper excision of the primary lesions of melanoma are crucial for reducing melanoma-related deaths. To support the early detection of melanoma, automated melanoma-screening systems have been extensively studied and developed. In this article, a previously reported hyperspectral imager and melanoma discrimination index are applied to the discrimination of acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) from acral nevus (AN), and their diagnostic performance is reported.


METHODS
The index expresses the disordered nature of each lesion including variegation in color based on variation in spectral information obtained from each lesion. Performance of the index has been studied in thirteen cases of ALM and seven cases of AN, obtained from patients and volunteers, all of whom were Japanese.


RESULTS
The index discriminated ALM from AN with a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 86%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.97.


CONCLUSIONS
The performance of the proposed objective melanoma discrimination index at a molecular pigmentary level approached that of clinical experts, using the three-step algorithm as the gold standard.
Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. nagaoka@aoni.waseda.jp
Takashi
T
Nagaoka
Atsushi
A
Nakamura
Haruka
H
Okutani
Yoshio
Y
Kiyohara
Hiroshi
H
Koga
Toshiaki
T
Saida
Takayuki
T
Sota
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D003124:Colorimetry / Q000379:methods; D046169:Dermoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000473:pathology*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012015:Reference Standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation