Autofluorescence imaging for recurrence detection in skin cancer postoperative scars

This clinical study is a first attempt to use autofluorescence for recurrence diagnosis of skin cancer in postoperative scars. The proposed diagnostic parameter is based on a reduction in scar autofluorescence, evaluated in the green spectral channel. The validity of the method has been tested on 110 postoperative scars from 56 patients suspected of non-melanoma skin cancer, with eight patients (13 scars) available for the repeated examination. The recurrence diagnosis within a scar has been made after two subsequent autofluorescence check-ups, representing the temporal difference between the scar autofluorescence amplitudes as a vector. The recognition of recurrence has been discussed to represent the significant deviations from the value of vector angle theta. This new autofluorescence-based method can be easily integrated into the postoperative monitoring of surgical scars and can help diagnose the recurrence of skin cancer from the early stage of scar development.