Mass spectrometry may aid in the diagnosis of atypical moles, new research suggests.

In this study, mass spectrometry, which analyzes the level of proteins within mole cells, correlated better than the gold standard of histologic examination to determine if an atypical mole was benign or a melanoma. The gold standard is skin biopsy followed by microscopic examination of sampled tissue. However, in up to 1 in 4 cases, the results are inconclusive.

The new test was developed by California Skin Institute.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers retrospectively analyzed more than 100 cases of atypical moles. They compared results from IMS diagnosis to results based on standard microscopic examination of biopsies and correlated them with clinical outcomes. In nearly all cases, the IMS analysis was a more accurate predictor, both of benign lesions and melanomas, than standard microscopic examination, the study showed.

The finding suggests that IMS analysis, based on proteomic signatures, may improve both diagnosis and prediction of outcomes for patients with ambiguous moles, the researchers conclude.

The study was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.