The performance of SolarScan: an automated dermoscopy image analysis instrument for the diagnosis of primary melanoma.

Objective: To describe the diagnostic performance of SolarScan (Polartechnics Ltd, Sydney, Australia), an automated instrument for the diagnosis of primary melanoma.

Design: Images from a data set of 2430 lesions (382 were melanomas; median Breslow thickness, 0.36 mm) were divided into a training set and an independent test set at a ratio of approximately 2:1.

Childhood melanoma: update and treatment.

Childhood melanoma is a rare but potentially fatal disease that is important to include in the differential diagnosis of any pigmented lesion in a child. The best prognosis is achieved with early diagnosis and definitive surgical excision. Adjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy are options for those with more advanced tumors.

Childhood subungual melanoma in situ in diffuse nail melanosis beginning as expanding longitudinal melanonychia.

We report a rare childhood occurrence of melanoma in situ presenting as diffuse nail pigmentation resulting from expanding longitudinal melanonychia, and discuss factors that should come into play when considering a possible nail matrix biopsy.

Successful treatment of malignant melanoma in situ with topical 5% imiquimod cream.

Background: Current treatment recommendations for malignant melanoma in situ include surgical excision with at least 0.5 cm margins. On the head or neck, obtaining adequate surgical margins for melanoma can be challenging and often disfiguring.

Melanoma screening behavior among primary care physicians.

The incidence of malignant melanoma is rising concomitantly with dramatic changes in our healthcare system. Primary care physicians (PCPs) are responsible for an increasing number of skin-related healthcare visits. Therefore, PCPs must be on the forefront of early detection of suspicious pigmented lesions.

Optimal treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum.

The optimal treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum includes a combination of local wound care and systemic medications. Oral and pulse intravenous corticosteroids have traditionally been the most commonly recommended first-line systemic therapies. Cyclosporine, with or without corticosteroids, has more recently emerged as a first-line systemic treatment.

Dermoscopy of pigmented skin lesions: results of a consensus meeting via the Internet.

Background: There is a need for better standardization of the dermoscopic terminology in assessing pigmented skin lesions.

Objective: The virtual Consensus Net Meeting on Dermoscopy was organized to investigate reproducibility and validity of the various features and diagnostic algorithms.

Methods: Dermoscopic images of 108 lesions were evaluated via the Internet by 40 experienced dermoscopists using a 2-step diagnostic procedure.

Dermoscopy: a review.

In this article, dermoscopy, an in vivo technique that allows the clinician to evaluate subsurface structures, is described. Dermoscopy is used in the evaluation of pigmented lesions of the skin and is a helpful tool in the differential diagnosis. This article discusses research on dermoscopy, as well as other imaging techniques including confocal microscopy, digital dermoscopy, and computer-assisted diagnosis.