Spectral imaging as a tool for the evaluation of skin cancer postoperative scars

摘要

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the USA and worldwide.' An early diagnosis is the key to a successful treatment. Among the skin cancers, the malignant melanoma (MM) accounts for 1% of the cases while it is responsible for the majority of deaths. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer with a very low mortality rate.2 Unfortunately, skin cancer recurrence is a common problem for MM and BCC patients. We propose a post-operative scar screening with non-invasive autofluorescence (AF) imaging to detect an early growth of any residual tissue from the cancer removal procedure. The screening images can serve also as a visual evidence for the post-op patient's observation in dynamics. The results of the study show promising results comparing various post-op scars with recurrent cancer cases.