Scanning for melanoma

Summary Non-invasive diagnostic tools aim at increasing accuracy of melanoma diagnosis. Clinical naked eye observation in combination with dermoscopy can be regarded as the practical reference standard to identify lesions for histopathological evaluation. Pigmented lesions need to be evaluated in the context of patient history to identify risk factors for melanoma, followed by a dermoscopically-aided entire skin examination. Patients with identified risk factors should be further examined. Total body photography is widely used in the follow-up of high-risk patients (particularly those with numerous and dysplastic naevi) and can be coupled with digital dermoscopy or videodermoscopy. New noninvasive diagnostic aids comprise multispectral image analysis, reflectance confocal microscopy and computer assisted diagnostic systems. Also, molecular profiling of lesions is an emerging technique under investigation for melanoma diagnosis.