Molecular skin fluorescence imaging: A tool for evaluating early melanoma development.

A novel approach to melanoma diagnosis—in vivo molecular skin fluorescence imaging (mSFI)—was developed to identify premalignant changes in the form of tissue remodeling related to melanoma development in humans by imaging the proximal microenvironment of lesions. The method was tested using a fluorescent peptide (ORL‐1) which binds to αvβ3 integrin, a molecule associated with invasive melanoma development. A cut off score of 7 was established, differentiating melanomas from nonmelanoma nevi with 100% sensitivity, and 95.7% specificity, while identifying dysplastic nevi with the potential for melanoma development. Summary In vivo molecular skin fluorescent imaging (mSFI) differentiates between concerning and non‐concerning nevi identifying microenvironmental tissue remodeling changes associated with melanoma development. This method has the potential to improve pigmented lesion assessment during clinical evaluation, consequently improving the selection of lesions for biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]