An image analysis algorithm based on the hue saturation density transformation, an important tool for melanoma immunotherapy research

Introduction Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, resulting in nearly 10,000 deaths per year in the US alone. Approximately 76,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year, and that number has been growing steadily over the last 30 years. Tragically, melanoma affects younger as well as older people. In fact, it is one of the most common forms of cancer in people younger than 30 [1]. A significant challenge impeding melanoma research is that the very cells that cause the cancer, the melanocytes, can confound measurements made using traditional immunohistochemical (IHC) techniques. This is because the brown melanin in the cells creates a high background for bright-field IHC stains, which are often brown or red.