As early diagnosis is the gold standard in the treatment of melanoma; the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit
at The National Institute for Cancer Research in Genoa, Italy is carrying on a new project based on spectrophotometric study of the pigmented skin lesions in collaboration with DV S.r.l. (Padova, Italy). The purpose is to develop, test and validate a prototype system (Spectramed) for the analysis of skin lesions, providing acquisition and visualiza- tion of the affliction in visible and near-infrared light bands. The non-invasive system is based on fast spectral imaging to extract high level features for melanoma detecting and diagnosis. The spectrographic system is based on the PGP (Prism-Grating-Prism) technology, which analyses the light spectrum (from infrared to ultraviolet) independently of light polarization. The spectrometer, obtained by the combina- tion of the spectrograph with the matrix optical sensor, al- lows the colour measurement along a line on a large num- ber of points, with high spatial and spectral resolution. By now we have found 13 melanomas out of 400 lesions ex- amined. Clinical impact is validated by a program coordi- nating the activities of the medical units involved. After gathering an informed consent, lesions at risk are thus ex- cised and tested with Spectramed. At the moment, the data collection is allowing the creation of a database for diag- nostic correlations between test data and histologic fea- tures.
at The National Institute for Cancer Research in Genoa, Italy is carrying on a new project based on spectrophotometric study of the pigmented skin lesions in collaboration with DV S.r.l. (Padova, Italy). The purpose is to develop, test and validate a prototype system (Spectramed) for the analysis of skin lesions, providing acquisition and visualiza- tion of the affliction in visible and near-infrared light bands. The non-invasive system is based on fast spectral imaging to extract high level features for melanoma detecting and diagnosis. The spectrographic system is based on the PGP (Prism-Grating-Prism) technology, which analyses the light spectrum (from infrared to ultraviolet) independently of light polarization. The spectrometer, obtained by the combina- tion of the spectrograph with the matrix optical sensor, al- lows the colour measurement along a line on a large num- ber of points, with high spatial and spectral resolution. By now we have found 13 melanomas out of 400 lesions ex- amined. Clinical impact is validated by a program coordi- nating the activities of the medical units involved. After gathering an informed consent, lesions at risk are thus ex- cised and tested with Spectramed. At the moment, the data collection is allowing the creation of a database for diag- nostic correlations between test data and histologic fea- tures.
