Combining Reflectance Confocal Microscopy with Optical Coherence Tomography for Noninvasive Diagnosis of Skin Cancers via Image Acquisition

Summary

Here, we describe protocols for acquiring good-quality images using novel, noninvasive imaging devices of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and combined RCM and optical coherence tomography (OCT). We also familiarize clinicians with their clinical applications so that they can integrate the techniques into regular clinical workflows to improve patient care.

Abstract

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Diagnosis relies on visual inspection and dermoscopy followed by biopsy for histopathological confirmation. While the sensitivity of dermoscopy is high, the lower specificity results in 70%-80% of the biopsies being diagnosed as benign lesions on histopathology (false positives on dermoscopy).

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging can noninvasively guide the diagnosis of skin cancers. RCM visualizes cellular morphology in en-face layers. It has doubled the diagnostic specificity for melanoma and pigmented keratinocytic skin cancers over dermoscopy, halving the number of biopsies of benign lesions. RCM acquired billing codes in the USA and is now being integrated into clinics.

However, limitations such as the shallow depth (~200 µm) of imaging, poor contrast for nonpigmented skin lesions, and imaging in en-face layers result in relatively lower specificity for the detection of nonpigmented basal cell carcinoma (BCCs) — superficial BCCs contiguous with the basal cell layer and deeper infiltrative BCCs. In contrast, OCT lacks cellular resolution but images tissue in vertical planes down to a depth of ~1 mm, which allows the detection of both superficial and deeper subtypes of BCCs. Thus, both techniques are essentially complementary.

A "multi-modal," combined RCM-OCT device simultaneously images skin lesions in both en-face and vertical modes. It is useful for the diagnosis and management of BCCs (nonsurgical treatment for superficial BCCs vs. surgical treatment for deeper lesions). A marked improvement in specificity is obtained for detecting small, nonpigmented BCCs over RCM alone. RCM and RCM-OCT devices are bringing a major paradigm shift in the diagnosis and management of skin cancers; however, their use is currently limited to academic tertiary care centers and some private clinics. This paper familiarizes clinicians with these devices and their applications, addressing translational barriers into routine clinical workflow.

Introduction

Traditionally, the diagnosis of skin cancer relies on visual inspection of the lesion followed by a closer look at suspicious lesions using a magnifying lens called a dermatoscope. A dermatoscope provides subsurface information that increases sensitivity and specificity over that of visual inspection for diagnosing skin cancers^1,2. However, dermoscopy lacks cellular detail, often leading to a biopsy for histopathological confirmation. The low and variable (67% to 97%) specificity of dermoscopy³ results in false positives and biopsies that turn out to show benign lesions on pathology. A ....

Protocol

All the protocols described below follow the guidelines of the institutional human research ethics committee.

1. RCM device and imaging protocol

NOTE: There are two commercially available in vivo RCM devices: wide-probe RCM (WP-RCM) and handheld RCM (HH-RCM). The WP-RCM comes integrated with a digital dermatoscope. These two devices are available separately or as a combined unit. Below are the image acquisition protocols using the latest generation (Generation 4) of the WP-RCM and HH-RCM devices along with their clinical indications.

1. Lesion selection and clinical indications ....

Results

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM)
Image interpretation on RCM:
The RCM images are interpreted in a manner that mimics the evaluation of histopathology slides. Mosaics are evaluated first to get the overall architectural detail and identify areas of concern, akin to the evaluation of histology sections on scanning magnification (2x). This is followed by zooming in on the mosaic for evaluation of the cellular details, similar to evaluating slides at high magnification (20x).

Discussion

In this article, we have described protocols for image acquisition using in vivo RCM and RCM-OCT devices. Currently, there are two commercially available RCM devices: A wide-probe or arm-mounted RCM (WP-RCM) device and a handheld RCM (HH-RCM) device. It is crucial to understand when to use these devices in clinical settings. Cancer type and location are the main factors determining the selection of the device.

The WP-RCM device is well-suited for lesions on flat and gently undulating .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Crystal Plus 500FG mineral oil	STE Oil Company, Inc.		A food grade, high viscous mineral oil used with our various devices during in vivo imaging.
RCM-OCT	Physical Science Inc.	-	A “multi-modal” combined RCM-OCT device simultaneously images skin lesions in both horizonal and vertical modes.
Vivascope 1500	Caliber I.D.	-	A wide-probe RCM (WP-RCM) device that attaches to the skin to campture in vivo devices.
Vivascope 3000	Caliber I.D.	-	A hand-held RCM (HH-RCM) device that is moved across the skin to capture in vivo images.