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The following is a summary of “Revolutionizing ex vivo skin imaging: 3D characterization of skin tumors with ex vivo LC-OCT. A pilot study,” published in the April 2025 issue of Dermatology by Rosés-Gibert et al. 

Various imaging techniques, including Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), and Line-field Confocal OCT (LC-OCT), were available for skin evaluation; however, a need persisted for enhanced imaging methods to improve understanding of tumor histology and surgical margin detection.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the quality of ex vivo LC-OCT images in cutaneous tumors, characterize their morphological features, and compare the findings with dermoscopy, in vivo RCM, and histology.  

They enrolled individuals aged 18 years and older with cutaneous tumors on the trunk or limbs between June 2022 and July 2023. Data from 10 tumors—melanomas, seborrheic keratoses, basal cell carcinomas, and melanocytic nevi—were collected, including clinical, dermoscopic, RCM, ex vivo LC-OCT, and histopathological images.  

The results showed that ex vivo LC-OCT generated high-quality images comparable to those from in vivo systems, offering three-dimensional views of excised tumors. The imaging achieved cellular-level resolution and demonstrated strong alignment with RCM and histopathological findings.  

Investigators concluded that ex vivo LC-OCT showed potential for enhancing the assessment of skin tumors and could improve dermato-oncological surgery, especially regarding margin control. 

Source: karger.com/drm/article-abstract/doi/10.1159/000545960/925923/Revolutionizing-ex-vivo-skin-imaging-3D