Tracey Liebman, MD, assistant professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, NYU Langone School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, discusses the use of digital surveillance in melanoma.

Digital surveillance has widespread utility in melanoma, says Liebman. For example, patients who have atypical nevi will undergo total body photography. These images can be monitored over time to help identify melanomas and reduce biopsies for normal moles. 

Additionally, dermoscopic monitoring through sequential digital dermoscopy imaging can be used to determine whether a biopsy should be done. If there are any short-term changes in the dermoscopic close-up image, a biopsy should be performed, says Liebman; this can diagnose melanoma at a very early stage, Liebman concludes.

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Tracey Liebman, MD, discusses the use of digital surveillance in melanoma.

Dr. Liebman on the Use of Digital Surveillance in Melanoma

Tracey Liebman, MD, assistant professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, NYU Langone School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, discusses the toxicities associated with BRAF inhibitors in melanoma.

Treatment with BRAF inhibitors can lead to proliferation of hyperkeratotic lesions such as benign warts and malignant lesions such as cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma or keratoacanthoma. Additionally, patients can experience changes in dysplastic nevi, says Liebman. Typically, these adverse events occur within the first few months of treatment.

Additionally, some patients may develop a second primary melanoma that is not often 

BRAF inhibitors are given to patients with 

-mutated advanced melanoma, explains Liebman. It is theorized that the addition of a BRAF inhibitor to 

 wild-type cells can have a paradoxical effect and cause increased cell growth that leads to proliferation, lesions, and neoplasms, concludes Liebman.

Tracey Liebman, MD, discusses the toxicities associated with BRAF inhibitors in melanoma.

Tracey Liebman, MD

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Dr. Liebman on the Use of Digital Surveillance in Melanoma

Dr. Liebman on Toxicities of BRAF Inhibitors in Melanoma