Title: Advancing Dermatological Diagnostics: The Case for High-Frequency Ultrasound in Skin Cancer Assessment

Author: Ehizele Robertson

Area of Concentration (Petal): Training in Medical Education (TMEP)

Specialty (if any): Dermatology

Keywords: High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS), Skin cancer

Background: The perpetually rising incidence of skin cancer, notably among fair-skinned populations of European descent to whom it most commonly affects, underscores the necessity for noninvasive methods to aid in skin lesion assessment. Skin cancer, which includes melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), reportedly surpasses the collective incidence of all other types of cancer. High-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) is a relatively novel approach to skin cancer assessment. While the clinical use of HFUS in dermatology is still in its early stages, it holds considerable potential for enhancing the prognosis and treatment of skin conditions. It provides a sensitive, noninvasive, and reproducible method of skin evaluation, enabling objective visualization in vivo.

Objective: To survey the use of high-frequency ultrasound as a routine modality in dermatology practice to assess skin cancer lesions.

Methods: Conduct a comprehensive literature review, including scientific articles, research papers, clinical trials, and meta-analyses related to high-frequency ultrasound in dermatology and its application in assessing skin cancer lesions.

Conclusions: Further studies are necessary to determine the impact of HFUS on physicians' clinical and therapeutic decisions. Though previous studies document that HFUS correlates strongly with histology, the golden standard for skin cancer diagnostics, few longitudinal studies demonstrate the efficacy of HFUS in patient care. HFUS has transitioned from the experimental phase to routine practice in numerous centers worldwide. However, there is still a need to standardize the quality of HFUS performance by establishing clinical guidelines. Additional data needs to be collected before HFUS is widely integrated into dermatological practice, but the current literature strongly supports employing HFUS for assessing skin cancer lesions.