Diagnosis of nonmelanoma skin cancer/keratinocyte carcinoma: a review of diagnostic accuracy of nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnostic tests and technologies.

BACKGROUND Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most prevalent cancer in the light-skinned population. Noninvasive treatment is increasingly used for NMSC patients with superficial lesions, making the development of noninvasive diagnostic technologies highly relevant. OBJECTIVE The scope of this review is to present data on the current state-of-the-art diagnostic methods for keratinocyte carcinoma: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and actinic keratosis. METHODS AND MATERIALS MEDLINE, BIOSIS, and EMBASE searches on NMSC and physical and clinical examination, biopsy, molecular marker, ultrasonography, Doppler, optical coherence tomography, dermoscopy, spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging, confocal microscopy, positron emission tomography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, terahertz imaging, electrical impedance and sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS State-of-the-art diagnostic research has been limited in this field, but encouraging results from the reviewed diagnostic trials have suggested a high diagnostic accuracy for many of the technologies. Most of the studies, however, were pilot or small studies and the results would need to be validated in larger trials. CONCLUSIONS Some of these new imaging technologies have the capability of providing new, three-dimensional in vivo, in situ understanding of NMSC development over time. Some of the new technologies described here have the potential to make it from the bench to the clinic.