South Korean researchers develop skin cancer diagnostic model

A joint research team from Samsung Medical Center and Kyungpook National University Hospital has developed a diagnostic prediction model to distinguish between Bowen’s disease and Bowenoid actinic keratosis. While both conditions present with similar red patches or scaling, Bowen’s disease is a form of skin cancer requiring surgical intervention, whereas Bowenoid actinic keratosis is a precancerous lesion typically treated with non-surgical methods.

The model integrates clinical features, such as lesion location and surrounding skin condition, with pathological biopsy results. By analyzing data from 253 patients at Samsung Medical Center, the researchers identified key differences: Bowenoid actinic keratosis occurred more frequently in areas of chronic UV exposure (90.1%), while Bowen’s disease showed a significantly higher average of atypical cells per 3mm of epidermis.

Upon validating the model with a separate group of 207 patients from Kyungpook National University Hospital, the team achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 95.17%. The study, published in The Journal of Dermatology, suggests that combining clinical and histological data can significantly improve diagnostic precision for these visually similar skin conditions.