Dermoscopy: The Essentials

The perfect one-stop shop for the beginner in dermoscopy! Diagnosis of malignant melanoma can be significantly improved by the use of dermoscopy (also known as dermatoscopy, epiluminescence microscopy or surface microscopy). This book clearly and concisely explains the principles of this revolutionary technique, how to perform a dermoscopy and how to interpret the results. The book uses checklists, algorithms, and brief text descriptions to convey the key messages, and contains over 375 colour dermoscopic images with clinical correlates. It has a practical emphasis throughout and is designed for quick reference. It also includes information on the common diagnostic pitfalls faced when diagnosing with dermoscopy. Written by five dermatologists with vast teaching experience, this book aims to take the mystery out of dermoscopy and make this technique accessible for all dermatologists and clinicians responsible for diagnosing skin cancer.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. How to learn not to miss a melanoma using dermoscopy - the three-point checklist. 2. Differentiating melanocytic from non-melanocytic lesions 3. Differentiating benign melanocytic lesions from melanoma 4. Anatomic site-specific criteria 5. Practical clinical situations Index

About the Author :
Professor Soyer is an academic dermatologist with over 30 years' experience in the field. He was appointed Chair in Dermatology by The University of Queensland in 2007 and as Director of the Princess Alexandra Hospital Dermatology Department in 2008. Professor Soyer is internationally recognised for his expertise in the areas of clinical dermatology, dermatooncology, dermatopathology and dermatologic imaging. He is a pioneer and world leader in the field of dermoscopy of pigmented skin lesions, a non-invasive diagnostic method. He has lead the development of the morphologic classification system currently used worldwide. Professor Soyer has an extensive publication record with over 600 publications to date, with more than 650 citations per year (in the last 5 years) and an h-index of 70 (Google Scholar). Professor Soyer has received numerous awards and in total, through his involvement as an investigator, he has achieved over $24M in research funding for UQ. Giuseppe Argenziano is the Head of the Dermatology Unit at the University of Campania, Naples, Italy; Co-founder and past president of the International Dermoscopy Society; President of the Italian Society of Dermatology; and Editor-in-Chief of Dermatology Practical and Conceptual Journal. Dr Argenziano's main research area is dermato-oncology - having authored over 800 scientific articles and landmark primary publications and books concerning dermoscopy, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer - with an h-index of 76 (Scopus, 2024). Over the past 25 years he has supervised over 500 foreign and Italian residents in Dermatology, established scientific collaborations with 1500+ colleagues from more than 50 Nations, and organized more than 500 national and international didactic meetings, courses and conferences. Dr Argenziano is a frequently invited speaker and/or has been elected chairman in more than 500 national and international conferences in the field of dermatology.

Review :
Dermoscopy is based on the simple principle of removing surface light reflection on pigmented lesions by viewing them through a fluid interface with a highly illuminated field. Over the past 20 years, dermoscopy has become a valuable method for evaluating pigmented skin lesions, and increases accuracy in clinical diagnosis. Dermoscopy: the essentials is an outstanding book compiled by five international authors who are experts in the field. They aimed to produce a book that provided a rapid means of expanding the clinician's capacity to identify critical diagnostic features of pigmented lesions. The authors used the traffic light grid as an analogy to propose three critical features to decide whether lesions require removal. Removal is recommended for lesions with all three criteria (red light); for those with two criteria (orange light), removal or close monitoring is recommended; while those demonstrating one criterion (green light) can be left alone. This is a useful strategy, as it focuses the reader on the main challenge of dermoscopy, which is to minimise the risk of misdiagnosing a melanoma or a non-melanoma pigmented skin cancer, particularly pigmented basal cell carcinoma. Difficult lesions such as featureless melanoma, hypopigmented lesions and melanomas arising in pre-existing naevi are included. One of the controversies in this book is the inclusion of equivocal skin lesions that on dermoscopy favoured the diagnosis of melanoma, but the biopsy findings were interpreted by the pathologist as a Clark's dysplastic naevus. In such cases, the authors probably had a split diagnosis and it would have been interesting to learn how this was resolved. The authors recommend review of the biopsy findings by a second pathologist in such cases. What may be needed is a closer study of such biopsies as they may harbour a subset of naevus-like melanomas that are not currently distinguished from Clark's dysplastic naevus. The approach in this book is fresh and it represents an excellent method to improve one's skills in this field. The 375 illustrated case studies include clinical and dermoscopic images and cover a vast array of pigmented lesions that are instructive to both novices and experts. It would be almost impossible to have seen all the variations of pigmented lesions that are included in this volume in a single practice without having examined an enormous amount of material. The images are grouped and accompanied by concise checklists for analysis of both melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions. The authors have also included brief targeted notes on the major features in each case that are highlighted in the photos. In summary, the book fulfils the authors' aim to provide a highly illustrated text that can be used as an effective resource to expand one's diagnostic skills in dermoscopy. Steven Kossard Associate Professor in Dermatology Skin & Cancer Foundation, Sydney