Differences Between Edges and Centers of Melanomas Using Vibrational Optical Coherence Tomography: The Effects of Critical Lesion Size

Vibrational Optical Coherence Tomography (VOCT) is a new technique to noninvasively characterize skin cancers. We have previously shown that skin cancers exhibit new mechanovibrational peaks at 80, 130, and 250-260 Hz. The 80 Hz peak appears to represent new cells including Cancer Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) while the new 130 and 250-260 Hz peaks reflect thin blood vessels and fibrotic tissue, respectively. Epithelial cell derived cancers are characterized by the formation of CAFs that are stiffer than normal fibroblasts, induce deposition of new thin vasomimictry vessels, and influence fibrotic tissue formation by expression of lysyl oxidases. The results of this study suggest that small lesions less than 0.13 mm in diameter are found in clear margins of skin cancers while lesions greater than 0.21 mm in diameter are characteristic of cancerous tissue based on histopathology. The results of this study suggest that early detection of MEL lesions as small as 0.06 mm can be achieved noninvasively using VOCT. VOCT may provide a method of screening patients for skin cancer in remote areas where Dermatologists are unavailable through use of telemedicine.