Presence of intralesional melanocytes as a histopathological feature of actinic keratosis based on in vivo harmonic generation microscopy in Asians.

Abstract

Most patients with actinic keratosis (AK) present with more than one lesion. Although histopathological examination is the gold standard for diagnosing this condition, performing an invasive skin biopsy for each AK is impractical. Thus, this study aimed to identify AK's morphological characteristics based on harmonic generation microscopy (HGM). Moreover, the correlation between features observed using HGM and histopathological grading of AK was examined. Lesions of seven patients were examined using HGM (n=1, ex vivo and n=6, in vivo), and histopathological examinations of the biopsy specimens were also performed. The features of each AK, based on HGM, were assessed and compared with corresponding standard histopathological findings. Using the histopathological findings as a standard reference, HGM's accuracy in detecting features of AK lesions, such as hyperkeratosis, epidermal thinning, abnormal architecture, and atypical honeycomb pattern, was 100%. Approximately five (72%) patients had similar histopathological grades. Moreover, based on HGM, except for one patient with grade 1 AK, six (85.71%) patients had lesions with intraepidermal dendritic cell-like cells, representing melanocytes. Harmonic generation microscopy can be used in vivo to provide critical diagnostic information with a resolution comparable to histopathological examination. In addition, intralesional melanocytes in AK, which may be correlated with disease severity, can be specifically enhanced using HGM.