Confocal microscopy in the diagnosis of melanoma

Abstract

Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer of melanocytic origin. The tumor has a high malignant potential and early metastasis. Prognosis is directly linked to the stage of the disease. Diagnosing thin melanoma at an early stage offers patients their best chance for survival. The crucial innovation in the early recognition of melanoma was the development of in vivo examination of the skin in high-resolution, by confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy and its modifications provides a "virtual biopsy", owing to melanosomes and melanin, which are a source of endogenous contrast. Confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) provides visualization of microanatomical structures and cellular detail in real time (pigmented keratinocytes, melanocytes, melanosomes and melanophages) in the epidermis, dermoepidermal junction and superficial dermis at a resolution equivalent to the resolution of conventional microscopes.