LC-OCT Paired With AI Feasible for Detecting Basal Cell Carcinoma at Preclinical Stage

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Systematic screening with line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) paired with artificial intelligence (AI) may be feasible for detecting basal cell carcinoma (BCC) at a preclinical stage, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in JAMA Dermatology.Moritz Ronicke, M.D., from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional feasibility study involving patients receiving inpatient care who had at least two established BCC risk factors. After excluding lesions macroscopically suggestive of BCC, AI-assisted LC-OCT was used to examine inconspicuous facial skin.Overall, 17 subclinical BCCs were identified in 14 of the 150 included patients (9.3 percent). The researchers found that 15 of the 18 lesions diagnosed as BCC with AI-assisted LC-OCT were histologically confirmed, corresponding to a positive predictive value (PPV) of 83.3 percent. A false-positive result was seen in one lesion; two of the patients declined biopsy. PPV was 94.4 percent in a sensitivity analysis including the two nonbiopsied lesions that were confirmed with expert analysis. The distribution of BCC subtypes was superficial BCCs, nodular BCCs, and infiltrative BCC (13, three, and one cases [76.5, 17.6, and 5.9 percent, respectively]). In 13 of 15 histologically confirmed cases, subtype classification was accurate."The findings suggest that systematic screening with AI-assisted LC-OCT may be a feasible approach for BCC detection at a preclinical stage in populations at high risk for BCC," the authors write.Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)Editorial (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

LC-OCT Paired With AI Feasible for Detecting Basal Cell Carcinoma at Preclinical Stage

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