Clinical and experimental dermatology
October 14, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Tumour-Vascular Interface in melanomas with Breslow thickness ≥0.8 mm: A Confocal Microscopy Study.
Lai M, Pedroni G, Cavicchi M, +6 more, Longo C.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
A confocal feature named tumour-vascular interface was common in thicker melanomas and linked to aggressive features but not significantly to outcomes.
What was studied
Retrospective single-centre study of 197 melanomas with Breslow thickness at least 0.8 mm describing clinical, dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopy features and a new feature, TVI.
Key findings
- TVI was present in 83 cases (42.1%); mean Breslow thickness was 2.3 mm (SD 2.4)
- TVI+ cases were more often amelanotic/hypomelanotic (p = 0.011) and had a higher mitotic rate (p = 0.002)
- No significant differences in mortality or progression, with a trend toward higher nodal relapse in TVI+ (p = 0.068)
Clinical relevance
TVI could become a non-invasive marker of vascularisation, but prognostic value is not established.
Who should care
Limitations
Retrospective single centre, exploratory and without significant outcome differences.
TVI is a hypothesis-generating feature in thick melanomas.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
Due to the limited laser penetration depth, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) application in the study of thick cutaneous lesions has been limited so far.
Objectives
To describe clinical, histopathological, dermoscopic and RCM features of cutaneous melanomas with Breslow thickness ≥0.8 mm, to identify possible differences among different histological subtypes, and describe new RCM features of these tumours, with a focus on their potential impact on prognosis.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective, single-centre, study. We assessed the presence of a new RCM feature named "tumour-vascular interface" (TVI) defined as the presence of vessels adjacent to melanocytic structures. The included cases were classified according to melanoma histotype and the presence of TVI.
Results
A total of 197 melanomas were included and comprehensive description of their clinicopathological, dermoscopic and RCM features was provided. Most cases were superficial spreading melanomas (72.6%) and nodular melanomas (16.2%). The mean Breslow thickness was 2.3 mm (SD ±2.4; range 0.8-25). TVI was identified in 83 cases (42.1%). TVI+ cases were more frequently amelanotic/hypomelanotic (p = 0.011) and ulcerated (p= 0.093) and exhibited a higher mitotic rate (p=0.002). No significant differences in mortality rate or disease progression were observed between TVI+ and TVI- melanomas though TVI+ cases showed a trend toward higher nodal relapse rates (p=0.068).
Conclusions
This study provides an in-depth analysis of clinicopathological, dermoscopic and RCM features of invasive cutaneous melanomas, suggesting a potential new application of RCM in the study of melanoma vascularization and its possible correlation with clinical behaviour.
DOI
10.1093/ced/llag447
PMID
42874065
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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