Significant dermoscopic patterns of mycosis fungoides

Background. Dermoscopy is a fast, non-invasive diagnostic method widely used in routine clinical practice to assess skin neoplasms. Recently, more and more data have been accumulated describing specific dermoscopic signs of various skin diseases, including mycosis fungoides. The possibility of using dermoscopy in patients with mycosis fungoides can significantly facilitate differential diagnostics with inflammatory dermatoses, reducing the time for establishing a diagnosis and prescribing an effective therapy, which will lead to an increase in the quality and duration of life of such patients. Aim. To describe the dermoscopic patterns of mycosis fungoides at early stages (IA, IB, IIA) and compare it with the dermoscopic patterns in plaque psoriasis. Methods. An open-label, prospective study was conducted, which included 17 patients with early mycosis fungoides and 28 patients with plaque psoriasis. The diagnosis was confirmed in all patients by pathohistological investigation. Immunohistochemical methods were additionally used for mycosis fungoides. Dermoscopy was performed using a polarized manual dermoscope (HEINE DELTA 20Т). The dermoscopic patterns were assessed: the location and morphology of vessels, the presence of scales and other structural elements. Results. The following dermoscopy patterns were statistically significantly more often determined in patients with mycosis fungoides: small, short, linear vessels and a vascular structures resembling spermatozoa (p 0.001), as well as orange-yellowish patchy areas (p 0.001). Conclusion. Detection of specific dermoscopy patterns at the early stages of mycosis fungoides will allow to use dermoscopy in the differential diagnosis of the disease with various inflammatory dermatoses in clinical practice.