Autofluorescence imaging of sporadic and basal cell nevus syndrome-associated basal cell carcinomas

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of cancer in the general population with fair skin. Basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder with the early onset of multiple BCC. Autofluorescence (AF) and AF photobleaching imaging is a potential approach for the early diagnosis and subtype determination of BCC, however, its mechanism is not fully understood. Investigation of the AF intensity and AF photobleaching kinetics of BCNS associated-BCC could assist in early detection and assessment of BCC in general. An imaging device with 405 nm LED illumination at power density 7 mW/cm(2) was used for AF excitation of five BCNS-associated BCC and 22 sporadic BCC. AF photobleaching was detected by imaging under continuous irradiation for 20 seconds. It was found that on average BCC in patients with BCNS has a lower AF intensity at the first second of excitation, as well as smaller decrease in intensity after 20 seconds of irradiation compared to sporadic BCC. This may show that BCC in patients with BCNS have a different composition of endogenous fluorophores than in sporadic cases which could be investigated in further research.