Diagnose skin cancer during operation, latest technique to remove tumor 100%

Barcelona is a world leader in non-invasive skin cancer diagnosis research. Possibly the most obvious expression of this is the company Diagnosis Dermatológica, based in the city, which leads Europe in innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. This is possible thanks to strategic alliances with leading European and U.S. companies in the sector, such as Fotofinder, Derma Medical, Visiomed, Scibase, Mavig, Caliber and Canfield. Dr. Josep Malvehy and Dr. Susana Puig, medical directors of Diagnosis Dermatológica, explain that the key to success lies in the ability to effectively apply and facilitate the development and diagnostic validation of new techniques at different stages of medical development.

Its facilities perform the largest number of follow-ups with digital skin imaging techniques in Europe, with more than 5,000 patients per year, including more than 1,600 patients under follow-up for melanoma and more than 3,000 patients with non-melanoma skin cancer. The center is staffed by a team of physicians and technicians specialized in complex rapid diagnostic techniques in different biophotonics modalities, including digital dermoscopy, polarized light body mapping, multimodal light diagnostics, optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy.

Multimodal fusion confocal microscopy, a revolution in skin cancer surgery

Fluorescence fusion confocal microscopy with reflectance is one of the most advanced fresh tissue diagnostic imaging technologies that enables rapid analysis during surgery. The diagnosis of the tumor is made in a few minutes and the dermatological surgeon can complete the operation ensuring that the tumor has been completely and accurately removed. This technique reduces the procedure time from sometimes several hours or even days (delayed Mohs) to a few minutes. The study was presented by Dr. J.Malvehy at the “Meeting of the International Confocal Group” 2017, held in Geneva.

Diagnosis dermatologique is the first center in the world to incorporate the fusion microscopy technique in Mohs surgery (surgery with 3D controlled margins). It is the fruit of an international European Union (FP7) research project initiated in 2013 co-led by Dr. J. Malvehy and Dr. S. Puig.

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Diagnosis Dermatológica is also responsible for training in multimodality confocal microscopy, which uses different lasers to obtain histological images of the tissue in just a few seconds. Dr. Puig comments that with this technology the diagnosis is immediate and surgery time is extremely reduced, with the guarantee that the tumor has been completely removed. It is currently the most advanced technology for intraoperative control of tumor margins.

Dr. Malvehy explains that “skin cancer is the most frequent of all cancers and its incidence is increasing rapidly throughout Europe. Despite advances in treatment with new drugs, early diagnosis is the most effective way to prevent complications of this cancer”. It should be remembered that the incidence of melanoma, the most aggressive skin tumor in terms of mortality, triples every decade, affecting adult patients of all ages. It is the most frequent cancer in Europe in women aged 25-29 years and in men aged 30-35 years. This reflects the great impact of this tumor on young patients.

It is therefore essential to improve primary and secondary prevention of this type of tumor, focusing on education, early detection and identification of risk factors and population. Thus, people with a personal or family history of skin cancer, those with many nevi (moles) or those with chronically sun-damaged skin should benefit from specialized diagnosis and follow-up. Discoveries in rapid diagnosis and treatment are a clear advance in preventing complications from these types of tumors.