| 1. |
- Forsea, Ana-Maria, et al.
(author)
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Inequalities in the patterns of dermoscopy use and training across Europe : conclusions of the Eurodermoscopy pan-European survey
- 2020
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In: European journal of dermatology : EJD. - : John Libbey Eurotext. - 1167-1122 .- 1952-4013. ; 30:5, s. 524-531
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy is a widely used technique, recommended in clinical practice guidelines worldwide for the early diagnosis of skin cancers. Intra-European disparities are reported for early detection and prognosis of skin cancers, however, no information exists about regional variation in patterns of dermoscopy use across Europe.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the regional differences in patterns of dermoscopy use and training among European dermatologists.MATERIALS & METHODS: An online survey of European-registered dermatologists regarding dermoscopy training, practice and attitudes was established. Answers from Eastern (EE) versus Western European (WE) countries were compared and their correlation with their respective countries' gross domestic product/capita (GDPc) and total and government health expenditure/capita (THEc and GHEc) was analysed.RESULTS: We received 4,049 responses from 14 WE countries and 3,431 from 18 EE countries. A higher proportion of WE respondents reported dermoscopy use (98% vs. 77%, p<0.001) and training during residency (43% vs. 32%) or anytime (96.5% vs. 87.6%) (p<0.001) compared to EE respondents. The main obstacles in dermoscopy use were poor access to dermoscopy equipment in EE and a lack of confidence in one's skills in WE. GDPc, THEc and GHEc correlated with rate of dermoscopy use and dermoscopy training during residency (Spearman rho: 0.5-0.7, p<0.05), and inversely with availability of dermoscopy equipment.CONCLUSION: The rates and patterns of dermoscopy use vary significantly between Western and Eastern Europe, on a background of economic inequality. Regionally adapted interventions to increase access to dermoscopy equipment and training might enhance the use of this technique towards improving the early detection of skin cancers.
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| 2. |
- Liopyris, Konstantinos, et al.
(author)
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Expert agreement on the presence and spatial localization of melanocytic features in dermoscopy.
- 2023
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In: The Journal of investigative dermatology. - 1523-1747. ; 144:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dermoscopy aids in melanoma detection; however, agreement on dermoscopic features, including those of high clinical relevance, remains poor. Herein we attempted to evaluate agreement among experts on 'exemplar images' not only for the presence of melanocytic-specific features but also for spatial localization. This was a cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study. Dermoscopy images exhibiting at least one of 31 melanocytic-specific features were submitted by 25 world experts as 'exemplars'. Using a web-based platform that allows for image mark-up of specific contrast-defined regions (superpixels), 20 expert readers annotated 248 dermoscopic images in collections of 62 images. Each collection was reviewed by five independent readers. A total of 4,507 feature observations were performed. Good-to-excellent agreement was found for 14 of 31 features (45.2%), with 8 achieving excellent agreement (Gwet's AC >0.75) and 7 of them being melanoma-specific features. These features were: 'Peppering /Granularity' (0.91); 'Shiny White Streaks' (0.89); 'Typical Pigment network' (0.83); 'Blotch Irregular' (0.82); 'Negative Network' (0.81); 'Irregular Globules' (0.78); 'Dotted Vessels' (0.77) and 'Blue Whitish Veil' (0.76). By utilizing an exemplar dataset, good-to-excellent agreement was found for 14 features that have previously been shown useful in discriminating nevi from melanoma. All images are public (www.isic-archive.com) and can be used for education, scientific communication and machine learning experiments.
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| 3. |
- Russo, Teresa, et al.
(author)
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Indications for Digital Monitoring of Patients With Multiple Nevi: Recommendations from the International Dermoscopy Society
- 2022
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In: Dermatology Practical and Conceptual. - : Mattioli1885. - 2160-9381. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: In patients with multiple nevi, sequential imaging using total body skin photography (TBSP) coupled with digital dermoscopy (DD) documentation reduces unnecessary excisions and improves the early detection of melanoma. Correct patient selection is essential for optimizing the efficacy of this diagnostic approach. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to identify, via expert consensus, the best indications for TBSP and DD follow-up. Methods: This study was performed on behalf of the International Dermoscopy Society (IDS). We attained consensus by using an e-Delphi methodology. The panel of participants included international experts in dermoscopy. In each Delphi round, experts were asked to select from a list of indications for TBSP and DD. Results: Expert consensus was attained after 3 rounds of Delphi. Participants considered a total nevus count of 60 or more nevi or the presence of a CDKN2A mutation sufficient to refer the patient for digital monitoring. Patients with more than 40 nevi were only considered an indication in case of personal history of melanoma or red hair and/or a MC1R mutation or history of organ transplantation. Conclusions: Our recommendations support clinicians in choosing appropriate follow-up regimens for patients with multiple nevi and in applying the time-consuming procedure of sequential imaging more efficiently. Further studies and real-life data are needed to confirm the usefulness of this list of indications in clinical practice.
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| 4. |
- Sinz, Christoph, et al.
(author)
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Accuracy of dermatoscopy for the diagnosis of nonpigmented cancers of the skin.
- 2017
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In: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1097-6787 .- 0190-9622. ; 77:6, s. 1100-1109
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nonpigmented skin cancer is common, and diagnosis with the unaided eye is error prone.To investigate whether dermatoscopy improves the diagnostic accuracy for nonpigmented (amelanotic) cutaneous neoplasms.We collected a sample of 2072 benign and malignant neoplastic lesions and inflammatory conditions and presented close-up images taken with and without dermatoscopy to 95 examiners with different levels of experience.The area under the curve was significantly higher with than without dermatoscopy (0.68 vs 0.64, P<.001). Among 51 possible diagnoses, the correct diagnosis was selected in 33.1% of cases with and 26.4% of cases without dermatoscopy (P<.001). For experts, the frequencies of correct specific diagnoses of a malignant lesion improved from 40.2% without to 51.3% with dermatoscopy. For all malignant neoplasms combined, the frequencies of appropriate management strategies increased from 78.1% without to 82.5% with dermatoscopy.The study deviated from a real-life clinical setting and was potentially affected by verification and selection bias.Dermatoscopy improves the diagnosis and management of nonpigmented skin cancer and should be used as an adjunct to examination with the unaided eye.
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| 5. |
- Tschandl, Philipp, et al.
(author)
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Expert-Level Diagnosis of Nonpigmented Skin Cancer by Combined Convolutional Neural Networks.
- 2019
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In: JAMA dermatology. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2168-6084 .- 2168-6068. ; 55:1, s. 58-65
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) achieve expert-level accuracy in the diagnosis of pigmented melanocytic lesions. However, the most common types of skin cancer are nonpigmented and nonmelanocytic, and are more difficult to diagnose.To compare the accuracy of a CNN-based classifier with that of physicians with different levels of experience.A CNN-based classification model was trained on 7895 dermoscopic and 5829 close-up images of lesions excised at a primary skin cancer clinic between January 1, 2008, and July 13, 2017, for a combined evaluation of both imaging methods. The combined CNN (cCNN) was tested on a set of 2072 unknown cases and compared with results from 95 human raters who were medical personnel, including 62 board-certified dermatologists, with different experience in dermoscopy.The proportions of correct specific diagnoses and the accuracy to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions measured as an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve served as main outcome measures.Among 95 human raters (51.6% female; mean age, 43.4 years; 95% CI, 41.0-45.7 years), the participants were divided into 3 groups (according to years of experience with dermoscopy): beginner raters (<3 years), intermediate raters (3-10 years), or expert raters (>10 years). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the trained cCNN was higher than human ratings (0.742; 95% CI, 0.729-0.755 vs 0.695; 95% CI, 0.676-0.713; P<.001). The specificity was fixed at the mean level of human raters (51.3%), and therefore the sensitivity of the cCNN (80.5%; 95% CI, 79.0%-82.1%) was higher than that of human raters (77.6%; 95% CI, 74.7%-80.5%). The cCNN achieved a higher percentage of correct specific diagnoses compared with human raters (37.6%; 95% CI, 36.6%-38.4% vs 33.5%; 95% CI, 31.5%-35.6%; P=.001) but not compared with experts (37.3%; 95% CI, 35.7%-38.8% vs 40.0%; 95% CI, 37.0%-43.0%; P=.18).Neural networks are able to classify dermoscopic and close-up images of nonpigmented lesions as accurately as human experts in an experimental setting.
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