NEW YORK — More technologies are becoming available that are expected to help improve early detection of skin cancer, while reducing the need for unnecessary biopsies, according to Jonathan Ungar, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City.
Improving skin cancer diagnostics remains a priority because early detection is key for reducing morbidity and mortality from melanoma. The 5-year overall survival rate (OS) for patients with melanoma is roughly 92%, falling to 65% when there is lymph node involvement and 25% when the disease spreads to other organs.
Skin cancer screening is largely based on pattern recognition, including consideration of family history, visual inspection, and dermoscopy, but skin biopsy remains the gold standard for detecting malignancy. Although histopathology delivers the most accurate skin cancer diagnoses, biopsies can result in scarring in cosmetically sensitive areas and leave room for human error because of differences in opinion between pathologists.
"Several new technologies have arisen that can improve diagnosis and monitoring for skin cancer, while at the same time minimizing the need for unnecessary biopsies," Ungar said at the annual Mount Sinai Winter Symposium on Advances in Medical and Surgical Dermatology, where he presented an update on noninvasive skin cancer screening techniques.
