Dermoscopy of Melanoma
Kitapta bölümler > Diğer · 2026
Yazarlar: Beyza Türe Avci, Ece GÖKYAYLA, Mustafa Turhan Şahin
Skin Cancer - Clinical, Dermoscopic Perspectives and Updates on Therapy [Working Title], Diğer, IntechOpen, B, Uluslararası, 2026, ,
DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.1017916
Özet
Dermoscopy has become an essential, non-invasive tool for the diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma, improving diagnostic accuracy beyond naked-eye examination while reducing unnecessary excisions of benign lesions. By enabling visualization of subsurface colors and structures that are not readily apparent clinically, dermoscopy provides valuable information for distinguishing melanoma from benign melanocytic and non-melanocytic lesions. Nevertheless, its diagnostic value depends on systematic assessment and appropriate interpretation within the clinical context. This chapter reviews the dermoscopic diagnosis of melanoma, integrating general diagnostic principles with the characteristic findings of its major clinicopathological subtypes. It first outlines the overall dermoscopic approach and the principal algorithm-based methods used to structure lesion assessment, ranging from pattern analysis to the revised two-step and Chaos and Clues algorithms. Particular attention is given to asymmetry, architectural disorder, color variation, and melanoma-specific structures that should raise diagnostic suspicion. The chapter then examines the dermoscopic criteria associated with the principal melanoma subtypes and anatomical presentations, including superficial spreading, nodular, lentigo maligna, acral lentiginous, spitzoid, subungual, and mucosal melanoma, emphasizing the diagnostic challenges unique to each setting. Throughout the chapter, emphasis is placed on interpreting dermoscopic structures in conjunction with lesion history, patient characteristics, anatomical location, and clinical morphology. No individual dermoscopic criterion is pathognomonic for melanoma, and early or atypical lesions may lack classic diagnostic clues. Consequently, dermoscopy should support rather than replace clinical judgment, and a low threshold for biopsy or excision of suspicious lesions remains fundamental to minimizing missed or delayed melanoma diagnoses.