Visualisering av basalcellscancer med Tissue Viability Imaging - ett icke-invasivt diagnostiskt alternativ

Sammanfattning: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common non-melanoma skin cancer. It can be divided in different subtypes. The most common type is superficial and is most frequently occurring on the trunk and on the face. In severe cases it can be difficult to differentiate basal cell carcinoma from other skin tumors, therefore a skin biopsy is conclusive diagnostic method. In terms of treatment, curettage is a common non-surgical treatment of basal cell carcinoma. However, being superficial, curettage increases the risk of recurrence. Between 30-40 % of most recurrences occur within five years. Tissue Viability Imaging or TiVi is a diagnostic method used by the Department of Dermatology at the University Hospital in Linköping. The technology allows the investigator to see through the top layer of the skin (epidermis) and map the skin skin blood circulation in the dermal area. The aim of this study was to investigate whether histological features of present basal cell carcinoma, inflammation, stroma and microvessels, correlates with the presence of the tumour visualized by Tissue Viability Imaging technique. The hypothesis is, that by visualizing BCC recurrence at the first visit at the clinic by using TiVi technique, we can diagnose BCC and treat patients in one step, thus reducing the amount of discomfort for the patient and also reduce the cost of care. In this pilot-study, patient material involving two basal cell carcinomas from one patient were used. The results show that microscopic examination of the tumor and blood vessels correlate with visualizing basal cell carcinoma with TiVi, although furthermore studies of existing basal cell carcinoma and several tumours are required to ensure correlation before TiVi can be used to replace skin biopsy.