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Gianluca Petrillo

Publications and source records attributed to Gianluca Petrillo.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Dermoscopy improves accuracy of primary care physicians to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer.

PURPOSE: Primary care physicians (PCPs) constitute an appropriate target for new interventions and educational campaigns designed to increase skin cancer screening and prevention. The aim of this randomized study was to determine whether the adjunct of dermoscopy to the standard clinical examination improves the accuracy of PCPs to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PCPs in Barcelona, Spain, and Naples, Italy, were given a 1-day training course in skin cancer detection and dermoscopic evaluation, and were randomly assigned to the dermoscopy evaluation arm or naked-eye evaluation arm. During a 16-month period, 73 physicians evaluated 2,522 patients with skin lesions who attended their clinics and scored individual lesions as benign or suggestive of skin cancer. All patients were re-evaluated by expert dermatologists at clinics for pigmented lesions. Referral accuracy of both PCP groups was calculated by their scores, which were compared to those tabulated for dermatologists. RESULTS: Referral sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 54.1%, 71.3%, 11.3%, and 95.8%, respectively, in the naked-eye arm, and 79.2%, 71.8%, 16.1%, and 98.1%, respectively, in the dermoscopy arm. Significant differences were found in terms of sensitivity and negative predictive value (P = .002 and P = .004, respectively). Histopathologic examination of equivocal lesions revealed 23 malignant skin tumors missed by PCPs performing naked-eye observation and only six by PCPs using dermoscopy (P = .002). CONCLUSION: The use of dermoscopy improves the ability of PCPs to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer without increasing the number of unnecessary expert consultations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Vascular structures in skin tumors: a dermoscopy study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the different vascular structures seen by dermoscopy and to evaluate their association with various melanocytic and nonmelanocytic skin tumors in a large series of cases. DESIGN: Digital dermoscopic images of the lesions were evaluated for the presence of various morphologic types of vessels. SETTING: Specialized university clinic. PATIENTS: From a larger database, 531 excised lesions (from 517 patients) dermoscopically showing any type of vascular structures were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The frequency and positive predictive value of the different vascular structures seen in various tumors were calculated, and the differences were evaluated by the chi2 or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Arborizing vessels were seen in 82.1% of basal cell carcinomas, with a 94.1% positive predictive value (P<.001). Dotted vessels were generally predictive for a melanocytic lesion (90.0%, P<.001), and were especially seen in Spitz nevi (77.8% of lesions). In melanoma, linear-irregular, dotted, and polymorphous/atypical vessels were the most frequent vascular structures, whereas milky-red globules/areas were the most predictive ones (77.8%, P = .003). The presence of erythema was most predictive for Clark nevus, whereas comma, glomerular, crown, and hairpin vessels were significantly associated with dermal/congenital nevi, Bowen disease, sebaceous hyperplasia, and seborrheic keratosis, respectively (P<.001 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Different morphologic types of vessels are associated with different melanocytic or nonmelanocytic skin tumors. Therefore, the recognition of distinctive vascular structures may be helpful for diagnostic purposes, especially when the classic pigmented dermoscopic structures are lacking.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Dermoscopic features of melanoma on the scalp.

There is a need to improve the early detection of melanoma of the scalp because it is characterized by a poorer prognosis compared with melanoma on other body sites. Dermoscopy is a useful tool for the early detection of melanoma but no previous reports on dermoscopic features of scalp melanoma have been published. We describe the first case of melanoma of the scalp seen by dermoscopy exhibiting a multicomponent global pattern with atypical pigment network, irregular streaks, and regression structures. In contrast to the dermoscopic features usually seen in melanoma occurring on the face, the same morphologic type of pigment network usually seen in melanoma of the trunk was observed in our case of scalp melanoma.

Dermoscopy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dermoscopy of an acral congenital melanocytic nevus.

Congenital melanocytic nevi carry a risk for malignant transformation into melanoma, therefore early detection of suspicious features is crucial to reduce mortality rates. Dermoscopy improves the early detection of melanoma while reducing the number of unnecessary excisions of benign pigmented skin lesions. Dermoscopically, congenital melanocytic nevi are often characterized by the presence of a cobblestone pattern, but to date, little is known about the dermoscopic features of acral congenital melanocytic nevi. We report an acral congenital melanocytic nevus typified by the presence of three different dermoscopic patterns that are commonly seen in acquired melanocytic nevi of palms and soles.

Child↗