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Expression of melan‐a/MART‐1 antigen as a prognostic factor in primary cutaneous melanoma
Author(s) -
Berset Magali,
Cerottini JeanPhilippe,
Guggisberg David,
Romero Pedro,
Burri Françoise,
Rimoldi Donata,
Panizzon Renato G.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0215(20010120)95:1<73::aid-ijc1013>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - medicine , melanoma , breslow thickness , immunohistochemistry , antigen , monoclonal antibody , metastatic melanoma , oncology , survival analysis , pathology , antibody , cancer , cancer research , immunology , sentinel lymph node , breast cancer
In this study we assessed the expression of the Melan‐A/MART‐1 antigen by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody A103 in 73 primary cutaneous melanomas and its correlation with tumor staging and patient survival. Melan‐A/MART‐1 was expressed in 90% of primary tumors, with loss of expression increasing with Breslow thickness. Kaplan‐Meier analysis demonstrated a significantly reduced disease‐free interval and overall survival rate for patients not expressing this antigen. The poor prognosis of such patients was even worse for those presenting with a primary melanoma and a Breslow thickness of ≥ 1 mm. Thus, Melan‐A/MART‐1 is not only a useful and specific additional marker for the diagnosis of primary cutaneous melanoma, but it may also help refine the prognosis of patients with malignant melanoma. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.