Vascular patterns in basal cell carcinoma
Abstract
Background Dermoscopy has been proved to increase the diagnostic accuracy of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Objective To characterize the type and frequency of vascular patterns in superficial and nodular BCCs. Methods We retrospectively analysed the dermoscopic images of 504 histopathologically proven BCCs. Results The most common vascular pattern was represented by arborizing vessels (306/504; 60.7%), which were significantly more frequent in nodular BCCs (nBCCs) compared with superficial BCCs (sBCCs), and in pigmented sBCCs vs. non‐pigmented sBCCs (P < 0.0001). Short fine telangectasias (SFTs) were found in 33.1% (167/504) of cases and were significantly more frequent in sBCCs compared with nBCCs (P < 0.0001). Hairpin vessels were detected in 52/504 (10.3%) BCCs. Minor vascular patterns included glomerular vessels (41/504; 8.1%), dotted (21/504; 4.2%), comma vessels (5/504; 1.0%) and polymorphous pattern (9/504; 1.8%). Conclusions Arborizing vessels are prototypic of nBCCs, whereas SFTs are characteristics of sBCCs. Differential diagnosis with squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma is mandatory when a polymorphous pattern is detected.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Besides arborizing vessels, fine short telangiectasia, hairpin vessels, dotted vessels, comma vessels and polymorphous patterns may also be detected in BCC lesions.
“Micantonio et al. have demonstrated that besides arborizing vessels, fine short telangiectasia, hairpin vessels, dotted vessels, comma vessels and polymorphous patterns may also be detected in BCC lesions.6”
From A feature fusion system for basal cell carcinoma detection through data‐driven feature learning and patient profile (2018) · cites this paper as [6]
Cites
Diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy
Kittler, H., Pehamberger, H., Wolff, K., & Binder, M. (2002) · The Lancet Oncology · doi:10.1016/s1470-2045(02)00679-4 · Cited by 1,349 · see citing works
Dermoscopy of pigmented skin lesions: Results of a consensus meeting via the Internet
Argenziano, G., Soyer, H. P., Chimenti, S., Talamini, R., Corona, R., Sera, F., Binder, M., Cerroni, L., Rosa, G. D., Ferrara, G., et al. (2003) · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · doi:10.1067/mjd.2003.281 · Cited by 1,211 · see citing works
Self-citationPehamberger, H., Steiner, A., & Wolff, K. (1987) · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · doi:10.1016/s0190-9622(87)70239-4 · Cited by 634 · see citing works
Vascular Structures in Skin Tumors: A Dermoscopy Study
Argenziano, G., Zalaudek, I., Corona, R., Sera, F., Cicale, L., Petrillo, G., Ruocco, E., Hofmann-Wellenhof, R., & Soyer, H. P. (2004) · Archives of Dermatology · doi:10.1001/archderm.140.12.1485 · Cited by 366 · see citing works
Surface Microscopy of Pigmented Basal Cell Carcinoma
Menzies, S. W., Westerhoff, K., Rabinovitz, H. S., Kopf, A. W., McCarthy, W. H., & Katz, B. (2000) · Archives of Dermatology · doi:10.1001/archderm.136.8.1012 · Cited by 361 · see citing works
Altamura, D., Menzies, S. W., Argenziano, G., Zalaudek, I., Soyer, H. P., Sera, F., Avramidis, M., DeAmbrosis, K., Fargnoli, M. C., & Peris, K. (2010) · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2009.05.035 · Cited by 336 · see citing works
Self-citationEpidemiology and aetiology of basal cell carcinoma
Roewert-Huber, J., Lange‐Asschenfeldt, B., Stockfleth, E., & Kerl, H. (2007) · British Journal of Dermatology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2007.08273.x · Cited by 251 · see citing works
Zalaudek, I., Argenziano, G., Leinweber, B., Citarella, L., Hofmann‐Wellenhof, R., Malvehy, J., Puig, S., Pizzichetta, M. A., Thomas, L., Soyer, H. P., et al. (2004) · British Journal of Dermatology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2004.05924.x · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Stolz, W. (2002) · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Vascular patterns in skin tumors
Kreusch, J. F. (2002) · Clinics in Dermatology · doi:10.1016/s0738-081x(02)00227-4 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
Dermoscopy of Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma
Giacomel, J., & Zalaudek, I. (2005) · Dermatologic Surgery · doi:10.2310/6350.2005.31314 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Dermoscopic patterns of superficial basal cell carcinoma
Scalvenzi, M., Lembo, S., Francia, M. G., & Balato, A. (2008) · International Journal of Dermatology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2008.03731.x · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Dermoscopy and the Diagnostic Challenge of Amelanotic and Hypomelanotic Melanoma
Stoecker, W. V. (2008) · Archives of Dermatology · doi:10.1001/archderm.144.9.1207 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Interobserver Agreement on Dermoscopic Features of Pigmented Basal Cell Carcinoma
Peris, K., Altobelli, E., Ferrari, A., et al. (2002) · Dermatologic Surgery · doi:10.1046/j.1524-4725.2002.01302.x · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Self-citationColor Atlas of Dermatoscopy, 2nd ed
Goldberg, L. H., & Peterson, S. R. (2003) · Archives of Dermatology · doi:10.1001/archderm.139.5.678-a · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Kharazmi, P., Kalia, S., Lui, H., Wang, Z. J., & Lee, T. K. (2018) · Skin Research and Technology · doi:10.1111/srt.12422 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
- Authors
- Micantonio, T., Gulia, A., Altobelli, E., Di Cesare, A., Fidanza, R., Riitano, A., Fargnoli, M., & Peris, K.
- Affiliations
- University of L'Aquila (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Peris, K
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-02-06
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 358-361
- ISSN
- 0926-9959 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-3083
- OpenAlex
- W1492095818
- Cited by
- 76
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 3.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi dell Aquila (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Cancer and Skin Lesions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cutaneous Melanoma Detection and Management
- Keywords
- basal cell carcinoma, arborizing vessels, nodular basal cell carcinoma, superficial basal cell carcinoma, pigmented basal cell carcinoma, differential diagnosis, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Diagnosis, Differential, Female, Humans, Male, Melanoma, Middle Aged, Neovascularization, Pathologic, Retrospective Studies, Skin Neoplasms, Dermoscopy, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
