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Skin cancer: findings and role of high-resolution ultrasound

  • Review Article
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Journal of Ultrasound Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Currently available high-resolution transducers allow a detailed ultrasound (US) assessment of skin tumors. US complements clinical examination, dermoscopy, and biopsy in the initial differential diagnosis, surgical planning, locoregional staging, and follow-up of patients with skin malignancies. It is important for dermatologists, skin surgeons, and US operators to be aware of the US imaging findings and to recognize the clinical scenarios where imaging is indicated in the management of skin cancer. The purpose of this review article is to address the most common indications for US in skin oncology and to provide a comprehensive guide to the gray-scale and color-Doppler findings in cutaneous malignant tumors.

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Abbreviations

CM:

Cutaneous melanoma

BCC:

Basal cell carcinoma

DFSP:

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

KS:

Kaposi sarcoma

MCC:

Merkel cell carcinoma

PCL:

Primary cutaneous lymphoma

SCC:

Squamous cell carcinoma

US:

Ultrasound

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Alessandra Trocino, librarian at the National Cancer Institute Fondazione Pascale of Naples, Italy, for the bibliographic assistance.

Funding

The authors declare that they did not receive any funding for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiology Unit, Istituto Diagnostico Varelli, via Cornelia dei Gracchi 65, 80126, Naples, Italy

    Orlando Catalano & Carlo Varelli

  2. Hospital Universitario Puerta De Hierro Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain

    Fernando Alfageme Roldán

  3. Bard Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Robert Bard

  4. Department of Movement and Wellness Sciences, University of Naples Parthenope, Naples, Italy

    Antonio Corvino

  5. Department of Dermatology, Institute for Diagnostic Imaging and Research of the Skin and Soft Tissues Clinic, University of Chile and Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Ximena Wortsman

Authors
  1. Orlando Catalano
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  2. Fernando Alfageme Roldán
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  3. Carlo Varelli
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  4. Robert Bard
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  5. Antonio Corvino
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  6. Ximena Wortsman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Orlando Catalano.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This is a review article. The images included are from current clinical practice. Anyway, all procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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This is a review article. The images included are from current clinical practice. For retrospective chart reviews, the authors obtained the consent requirement to be waived.

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Catalano, O., Roldán, F.A., Varelli, C. et al. Skin cancer: findings and role of high-resolution ultrasound. J Ultrasound 22, 423–431 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-019-00379-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-019-00379-0

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