Evaluation of a Combined Reflectance Confocal Microscopy-Optical Coherence Tomography Device for Detection and Depth Assessment of Basal Cell Carcinoma

IMPORTANCE The limited tissue sampling of a biopsy can lead to an incomplete assessment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) subtypes and depth. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) combined with optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging may enable real-time, noninvasive, comprehensive three-dimensional sampling in vivo, which may improve the diagnostic accuracy and margin assessment of BCCs. OBJECTIVE To determine the accuracy of a combined RCM-OCT device for BCC detection and deep margin assessment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This pilot study was carried out on 85 lesions from 55 patients referred for physician consultation or Mohs surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Skin Cancer Center in Hauppauge, New York. These patients were prospectively and consecutively enrolled in the study between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. Patients underwent imaging, with the combined RCM-OCT probe, for previously biopsied, histopathologically confirmed BCCs and lesions clinically or dermoscopically suggestive of BCC. Only patients with available histopathologic examination after imaging were included. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Improvements in sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy for BCC using the combined RCM-OCT probe as well as the correlation between OCT-estimated depth and histopathologically measured depth were investigated. RESULTS In total, 85 lesions from 55 patients (27 [49%] were female and 28 [51%] were male with a median [range] age of 59 [21-90] years) were imaged. Imaging was performed on 25 previously biopsied and histopathologically confirmed BCCs and 60 previously nonbiopsied but clinically or dermoscopically suspicious lesions. Normal skin and BCC features were correlated and validated with histopathologic examination. In previously biopsied lesions, residual tumors were detected in 12 of 25 (48%) lesions with 100% sensitivity (95% CI, 73.5%-100%) and 23.1% specificity (95% CI, 5.0%-53.8%) for combined RCM-OCT probe. In previously nonbiopsied and suspicious lesions, BCCs were diagnosed in 48 of 60 (80%) lesions with 100% sensitivity (95% CI, 92.6%-100%) and 75% specificity (95% CI, 42.8%-94.5%). Correlation was observed between depth estimated with OCT and depth measured with histopathologic examination: the coefficient of determination (R-2) was 0.75 (R = 0.86; P < .001) for all lesions, 0.73 (R = 0.85; P < .001) for lesions less than 500 mu m deep, and 0.65 (R = 0.43; P < .001) for lesions greater than 500 mu m deep. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Combined RCM-OCT imaging may be prospectively used to comprehensively diagnose lesions suggestive of BCC and triage for treatment. Further validation of this device must be performed on a larger cohort.