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NCT Number: NCT07213154

Optical Imaging Scans for the Diagnosis of Skin Cancer in Patients With Lesions

This clinical trial studies how well an optical imaging scan called quantitative oblique back-illumination microscopy (qOBM) helps in diagnosing skin cancer in patients with skin lesions. qOBM is a non-invasive procedure that uses red light for illumination, and may work better than no imaging procedures in aiding doctors in diagnosing skin lesions.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

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About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To perform a first-in-human study to assess the ability of a qOBM handheld device to reliably image skin pathology in-situ and in-vivo.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Characterize a wide variety of lesions including but limited to:

Ia. Malignant lesions: basal cell cancers, squamous cell cancers, Merkel cell cancer, melanoma, etc,; Ib. Non-malignant lesions: keloids, surgical scars, actinic keratosis, benign and dysplastic nevi, cysts, lipoma; Ic. Inflammatory conditions: psoriasis, eczema, alopecia, acne, wounds, etc); Id. Characterize pre and post treatment changes in the lesion as well as the surrounding normal tissue stroma (examples, but not limited to: changes to hair follicles, epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous tissue, erector pillae muscles, vessels, nerves, etc); Ie. Correlate optical findings with histological findings for lesions that would have been removed surgically and/or are biopsied (examples, but not limited to: removal of a skin cancer where optical imaging is used to characterize peripheral extent of the lesion as well as depth of penetration, a benign versus malignant lesion, pigmented versus [vs] non-pigmented lesion, etc).

OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 groups.

GROUP I: Patients who have skin melanoma and/or suspected dysplastic nevi undergo qOBM optical imaging scan on study. Patients may undergo 2 additional qOBM optical imaging scans at the discretion of the treating physician. After qOBM scans, patients who are diagnosed with skin cancer may proceed to Group II.

GROUP II: Patients with skin cancer who are undergoing standard of care (SOC) radiation therapy (RT) undergo qOBM optical imaging scans prior to- and during or after SOC RT on study. Patients may also undergo qOBM optical imaging scans additional at approximately 1, 6, and 12 months after completion of SOC RT at the discretion of the treating physician.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Male or Female
  • Candidate with skin lesions
  • Signed study-specific informed consent prior to study entry
  • ≥ 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

  • Prior surgery or radiotherapy to the area to be treated

Treatment and study plan

Quantitative Oblique Back-Illumination Microscopy

Procedure

Undergo qOBM

Other names: qOBM

radiation therapy

Radiation

Undergo SOC RT

Other names: Cancer Radiotherapy, Energy Type, ENERGY_TYPE, Irradiate, Irradiated, Irradiation, Radiation, Radiation Therapy, NOS, Radiotherapeutics, Radiotherapy, RT, Therapy, Radiation

Primary outcomes

  1. qOBM Clinical Assessment

    Time frame: Up to 12 months

    Assessing the application of quantitative oblique back-illumination microscopy (qOBM) to assess skin pathology. Analysis will be descriptive in nature (e.g., appearance of cells in the epidermis, dermis, and basal junction). Quantitative analysis will include extracting image features such as mean, standard deviation, and kurtosis of the phase values; entropy, fractal dimension, gray level co-occurrence matrix, and other mathematical image features. Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Acute Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria (Skin) Grade 0. No change over baseline, Grade 1. Follicular, faint or dull erythema/epilation/dry desquamation/decreased sweating, Grade 2. Tender or bright erythema, patchy moist desquamation/moderate edema, Grade 3. Confluent, moist desquamation other than skin folds, pitting edema, Grade 4. Ulceration, hemorrhage, necrosis

Secondary outcomes

  1. Usability of the qOBM Device

    Time frame: Up to 12 months

    Will collect information regarding the usability of the device, including how ergonomic it is, ideal for factors for acquiring images and visualizing structures in real time. Quantitative analysis will include extracting image features such as mean, standard deviation, and kurtosis of the phase values; entropy, fractal dimension, gray level co-occurrence matrix, and other mathematical image features. Differences between similar diagnoses vs adjacent normal skin will be evaluated using a two-sided t-test.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Mohammad K. Khan, MD, PhD, MS, FACRO, FACR, DABR

CONTACT

[email protected]

404-778-3473

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Emory University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

Assessment of Novel Label-free Optical Imaging Technology for the Evaluation of Skin Lesions

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Oct 8, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 16, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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