Evaluation of basal cell carcinoma microcirculation through orthogonal polarization technique

Abstract

Basal cell carcinomas are the most common cutaneous neoplasias. They rarely metastasize, but can cause clinically significant local destruction and disfigurement if neglected or inadequately treated. The spectral imaging technique, a recently developed method of orthogonal light polarization, allows in vivo transcutaneous evaluation of tumor microcirculation. The objective of this work was to compare tumor and normal skin microcirculation in patients using the orthogonal polarization (OPS) technique. Forty histologically confirmed basal cell carcinomas of 36 patients were evaluated in order to accomplish our objective. Compared to control skin, basal cell carcinomas had significantly greater capillary diameters (10.6 ± 2.6 and 18.5 ± 6.2 μm, respectively), capillary density (25.0 ± 10.4 and 50.3 ± 16.9 cm/cm², respectively) and red blood cell velocities (0.06 ± 0.03 and 0.11 ± 0.07 mm/s). Our results have demonstrated significant microcirculatory alterations in skin tumors using the OPS technique that allows its transcutaneous evaluation in vivo, in the absence of anesthesia and invasive surgical procedures. This technique could be a promising tool for researchers studying diseases in which angiogenesis plays a major role.