title: Reflectance confocal microscopy in the diagnosis of solitary pink skin tumours: review of diagnostic clues.
abstract: Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a noninvasive tool that can be helpful in the diagnosis of nonpigmented skin tumours. As RCM enables visualization of architectural and cytological structures at near-histological resolution, it can improve the diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopically equivocal solitary pink neoplasms. For management decisions, it is important to identify specific morphological clues that allow bedside classification of nonpigmented skin neoplasms into benign vs. malignant and melanocytic vs. nonmelanocytic. More specifically, the presence of a nested melanocytic proliferation at the dermoepidermal junction or dermis level permits the clinician to ascribe a given lesion as melanocytic; the identification of basaloid bright tumour islands is a key RCM feature for the diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma; and the presence of disarrayed epidermis along with small demarcated papillae is suggestive for the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. The present review offers a comprehensive description of the main RCM diagnostic clues for solitary pink neoplasms that direct clinicians to the correct diagnosis and that may serve as groundwork for future prospective studies.
authors: Dermatology and Skin Cancer Unit, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, IRCCS, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Longo
authors: Dermatology and Skin Cancer Unit, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, IRCCS, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Moscarella
authors: Dermatology and Skin Cancer Unit, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, IRCCS, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Argenziano
authors: Dermatology and Skin Cancer Unit, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, IRCCS, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Lallas
authors: Dermatology and Skin Cancer Unit, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, IRCCS, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Raucci
authors: Dermatology Unit, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Pellacani
authors: Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Scope
mesh_terms: D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D055623:Keratosis, Actinic / Q000473:pathology; D017492:Keratosis, Seborrheic / Q000473:pathology; D018328:Melanoma, Amelanotic / Q000473:pathology; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*