Digital Dermoscopy Analysis for the Differentiation of Atypical Nevi and Early Melanoma

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Abstract
BECAUSE advanced cutaneous melanoma is still incurable, early detection, by means of accurate screening, is an important step toward a reduction in mortality.1-6 In most cases, the screening tests are simple and only require a brief skin examination by a trained professional.7 Of the methods for evaluating pigmented skin lesions (PSL), the ABCD approach is one of the most widely used.7,8 It is based on the study of color and a few coarse geometric variables. In some studies, it has been found to have high sensitivity (82%-96%) at the expense of specificity (28%-46%).9 However, for the many difficult or borderline lesions, diagnostic accuracy is only slightly above 60% even in specialized centers.4,10