Role of dermoscopy and biopsy in the diagnosis of skin cancer: it takes two to tango

ABSTRACT

Although the dermoscopy had very long history since its introduction in 17th century, only recently it has been possible to see the widespread application of dermoscopy in the dermatology clinic. One of the most promising areas where the dermoscopy can be applied is the diagnosis of skin cancer, especially malignant melanoma. Due to its inherent limitation to obtain in-depth information—literally, from more than skin-deep and more importantly, from microscopic structures—of skin cancers, dermoscopy cannot replace the present gold-standard ‘biopsy’ in the diagnosis of skin cancer. However, several advantages of dermoscopy over biopsy merit further considerations. For example, as a non-invasive tool, dermoscopy is best suited for the follow-up of suspicious skin lesions, and as an all-at-a-glance tool, dermoscopy can aid the selection of the best biopsy-site to obtain the most meaningful pathological information from the minimal tissue specimen. There goes a saying that ‘it takes two to tango,’ similarly, we might need the two (biopsy and dermoscopy) to cope rhythmically with the varying tempos of ever-progressing skin tumorigenesis and to reveal the true face of skin cancers usually hidden in various disguises.