Dermoscopic features of red tumors among Filipino patients seen at two centers

ABSTRACT

Background@#Dermoscopy, a non-invasive diagnostic tool, has been proven to improve the diagnostic accuracy of vascular tumors since it can aid in identifying vascular structures as well as morphology of vessels. Tumor depth and precise vascular structures can also be evaluated through dermoscopy.@*Objective@#The study aimed to describe the dermoscopic features of red tumors in Filipino patients seen at the Outpatient Dermatology Department of two centers from January 2013 to July 2014.@*Methods@#Patients with red tumors were recruited to the study. Dermoscopic features were described for each tumor, and histopathology was done.@*Results@#A total of 44 patients were included in the study, and 45 red tumors were evaluated. The tumors were located on the face (31%), trunk (36%), and extremities (33%). The majority of the red tumors were confirmed to be vascular tumors (78%) on histopathology. Dermoscopic features that were found in the majority of vascular tumors seen were lacunae and reddish homogenous areas. For non-vascular tumors, vessels were identifiable in 90% of the tumors seen.@*Conclusion@#In this study, the use of dermoscopy in the diagnosis of red tumors proved to be a useful preliminary tool that aided in the observation of vascular pattern, albeit red lacunae, red to dark red homogenous areas, and different types of vessels. The identification of these structures may aid in arriving at a more precise diagnosis and help differentiate vascular from non-vascular tumors.