Heritability of dermoscopic patterns in melanocytic naevi; a twin study

Grantee: Emmanouil Chousakos, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Amount: DKK 40,400

Grant category: Research Grants in open competition

Year: 2019

Geography: Greece

It is of the utmost importance for diagnosing melanoma on an early stage to identify high risk population groups, which will subsequently receive special screening and follow-up for their melanocytic lesions.

Managing patients with multiple naevi, including atypical mole syndrome patients, can be challenging for the clinicians, despite the introduction of dermoscopy, digital dermoscopy mapping and full body imaging in the everyday clinical practice.

The goal of this study is to prove the heritability of the dermoscopic pattern of melanocytic naevi. Evidence of a strong relation between the genome and the dermoscopic, hence histopathological image can be the fundament of a comparative approach among members of the same family in terms of evaluating their melanocytic lesions and their malignant potential. With this approach we will be able to establish a familial profile of the lesions.