Smartphone Confocal Microscopy for Diagnosing Kaposi's Sarcoma

Smartphone Confocal Microscopy for Diagnosing Kaposi's Sarcoma

The investigators propose to evaluate a novel diagnostic approach for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) that may be eventually deployed with portable, point-of-care techniques. This approach features confocal microscopy. The investigators will compare this new approach with the gold standard of histology from a traditional skin punch biopsy (which is standard of care) to determine the sensitivity and specificity of portable confocal microscopy in diagnosing KS.

The investigators will perform a cross-sectional study of 500 patients in routine clinical care settings who are suspected to have KS on clinical grounds and for whom skin punch biopsy and histopathological examination is indicated as part of standard of care. Patients will be evaluated with both the gold standard for diagnosis of KS (skin punch biopsy followed by histopathology) and portable confocal microscopy.

Inclusion Criteria:

i. ≥ 18 years old ii. Clinically suspected KS iii. Presence of suspected KS lesions in areas which are considered safe to biopsy by the Ugandan providers, which means all areas of the skin except for the mouth and eye.

Exclusion Criteria:

i. Presence of suspected KS lesions exclusively on the mouth or eye unless clinical specialists trained in biopsy of the mouth or eye are available locally to biopsy the mouth or eye. Oral and eye sites would typically only be biopsied when clinical diagnosis has proved to be problematic and definitive diagnosis is needed to inform a treatment plan.