Diagnosing squamous cell carcinoma of the lip using dermoscopy

Mucoscopy of lip squamous cell carcinoma and correlation with skin phototype and histological differentiation: a multicentric retrospective observational study by the International Dermoscopy Society

“…This named pattern was also reported in the anecdotal reports of lip SCC by Güleç and Peralta et al 8,9 However, the concept or the frequency of the so‐called “polymorphous pattern” can neither be compared between our study with others nor among these studies themselves. Unlike the current study, where we have elaborately and clearly defined the two morphological patterns of vessels, with the special distinction of defining polymorphous vessels ( vide supra ; Table 1 & 2), the definition of this term has widely ranged in other publications ranging from “presence of nonfocused small‐sized vessels located both peripherally and throughout the lesion” without clearly stating the difference from the label of “linear irregular” and “dotted” pattern 6 ; to a “ combination of at least three different types ‐ looped, coiled, and dotted vessels” 7 (with the combination of any two types considered nonpolymorphous), to “quadruple combination of dotted, hairpin, arborizing, and coiled vessels ” 8 ; to “ telangiectatic, branching, hairpin, serpiginous, truncated, and dotted vessels ” 9 ; to no definition at all 10 . Moreover, the sample sizes of the studies by Benati et al and Elmas et al were 22 and 10, whereas our study included 60 cases that too were of different SPTs and histological grades.…”

“…The difference in the overall frequency of scale/crust seen in our study (46.7% of 60 cases) versus 100% reported in the 34 lip SCC cases of Benati et al, Elmas et al, Güleç, and Peralta et al 6‐8,10 warrants analytical discussion. The presence of keratin‐associated white‐yellowish scales is not only a sensitive dermoscopic clue for SCC but strongly favors the possibility of well or moderate histological differentiation of SCC (cutaneous or lip) 5‐8,10 . Of these previously reported 34 cases of lip SCC, only four cases of Benati et al had poor differentiation 6 ; the remaining 30 were moderate‐towell‐differentiated.…”

“…in case of disagreement on any issue between AJ and MS. Of note, all three investigators were kept blinded to the clinical data and histological differentiation of the scoped lesions. The collected dermoscopic images of lip SCC were analyzed for the presence of certain dermoscopic features defined by us based on the features evaluated and mentioned by Lallas et al in their study on dermoscopy of cSCC 5 and in the papers on dermoscopy of lip SCC 6‐10 . Any additional previously unreported observations were also noted and recurring new observations were looked for, in all images.…”

“…In this regard, dermoscopy has been shown to play a useful role in assisting the early recognition of cutaneous SCC (cSCC), with consequent reduction of its morbidity and mortality 4,5 . However, while dermoscopic features of SCC of the skin have been extensively studied, 4,5 the evidence on dermoscopic morphology of lesions developing on the lips, has been relatively scarce; being limited to only two small case series 6,7 and three case reports 8‐10 . Further, no data or analysis exists on dermoscopic variability in lip SCC according to the degree of histological differentiation.…”

Dermoscopic features of lower lip squamous cell carcinoma: A descriptive study

“…[6] In a case study, Güleç described dermoscopic findings of a case of lip SCC. In that report,[8] keratin masses, polymorphous vessels, and white structureless zones were the main clues.…”