Non-Invasive Imaging Including Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography (LC-OCT) for Diagnosis of Cutaneous Lymphomas
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCL) are a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas arising from malignant T (CTCL) or B (CBCL) cells, often mimicking other skin conditions. Recently, non-invasive diagnostic imaging modalities, including dermoscopy, Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM), and Line-field Optical Coherence Tomography (LC-OCT), have become increasingly important, supporting clinicians in clinical practice. Hence, our study aimed to describe dermoscopic, RCM, and LC-OCT features of PCL and to explore their role in PCL management. <b>Methods</b>: Between December 2022 and January 2024, 40 lesions of 25 patients with PCL were retrospectively analyzed at the Dermatologic Unit of the University of Siena, Italy. Predefined dermoscopic, LC-OCT, and RCM criteria were assessed and their frequencies were calculated. <b>Results:</b> At dermoscopy, CTCL lesions were characterized by pinkish structureless areas (58,6%) and homogeneous distributed dotted vessels (35,7%), whereas 57.1% of CBCL presented with orange-yellow structureless areas. Considering CTCL, lymphocytes in the epidermis, dermal-epidermal junction, and dermis were detected by LC-OCT in 73.1%, 66.7%, and 51.9% and by RCM in 72.2%, 55.6%, and 61.1% of cases, respectively. The detection of lymphocytes was more precise using RCM than LC-OCT in CTCL (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Dermal infiltration of medium-reflective cells was visible in 80% and 40% of CBCL cases by LC-OCT and RCM, respectively. <b>Conclusions</b>: Non-invasive imaging techniques may support clinicians in managing PCL; however, further studies are mandatory in this field.
Authors
- Linda Tognetti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6691-4310)
- Martina D’Onghia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8315-3413)
- Mariano Suppa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9266-0342)
- Laura Calabrese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5238-2336)
- Simone Soglia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2882-2036)
- Stefano Lazzi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2218-3771)
- Alberto Fabbri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2603-9715)
- Emanuele Cencini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0432-9706)
- Josep Malvehy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6998-914X)
- Javiera Pérez‐Ánker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6959-7250)
- Alessandra Cartocci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1818-6275)
- Élisa Cinotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4009-0659)
- Anastasia Batsikosta
- Azzurra Sirchio
- Maria Erasti
- Pietro Rubegni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4128-3145)
- Maria Mendonça-Sanches
Institutions
- University of Siena (IT)
- Champalimaud Foundation (PT)
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
- Erasmus Hospital (BE)
- Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale degli Spedali Civili di Brescia (IT)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (ES)
- Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (ES)
- Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
- University of Brescia (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cancers
- Published
- 2024-10-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16213608
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorders research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.53