Dermoscopy in the diagnosis and management of non-melanoma skin cancers

Over the past two decades, dermoscopy has remarkably enhanced the diagnostic accuracy of pigmented skin lesions and, more recently, of non-pigmented skin disorders, including skin cancers, inflammatory and infectious diseases. With respect to non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), dermoscopy is an effective diagnostic tool for the clinical assessment of basal cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease, actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma. Besides its relevance for diagnostic purposes, further applications of dermoscopy in the management of NMSC have been suggested in the preoperative evaluation, in monitoring the outcome of topical, light-based or laser treatments and in the post-treatment follow-up. This article summarizes the dermoscopic diagnostic criteria of NMSC and provides a review of the published literature as well as of our own experience on the usefulness of dermoscopy in monitoring surgical and medical treatment of NMSC.