ABSTRACT
Brown-colored pigmented structures are seen in superficial basal cell carcinoma, whereas blue-gray ovoid nests or globules and arborizing vessels are predictive of nonsuperficial subtypes. Modern medicine imposes the use of less invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to reduce patient morbidity, improve patient convenience, and decrease health care costs. In this context, dermoscopy has gained an indisputably efficacious role in skin cancer diagnosis. Imiquimod and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are considered as first-line options for the management of superficial basal cell carcinoma, whereas surgical excision remains the gold standard for other subtypes, including nodular, micronodular, morpheaform, and infiltrating basal cell carcinoma. Dermoscopy may help clinicians to better select tumors potentially sensitive or nonresponsive to PDT. The additional morphological information provided by dermoscopic examination allows a more integrated preoperative evaluation of the lesions, facilitating the selection of the optimal treatment strategy.
