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Type VII collagen antibody LH 7.2 identifies basement membrane characteristics of thin malignant melanomas
Author(s) -
Kirkham Nigel,
Price Margaret L.,
Gibson Barry,
Leigh Irene M.,
Coburn Peter,
Darley Charles R.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1711570311
Subject(s) - basement membrane , immunoperoxidase , pathology , dermoepidermal junction , dermis , epidermis (zoology) , membrane , type iv collagen , monoclonal antibody , chemistry , biology , cell , antibody , medicine , laminin , anatomy , immunology , biochemistry
A monoclonal antibody (LH 7.2) to the carboxy terminal of type VII collagen has been used in an indirect immunoperoxidase method on frozen sections of biopsies of benign compound and intradermal cellular naevi, dysplastic naevi, and malignant melanomas, to label the epidermal basement membrane. Benign intradermal naevi had an intact membrane with the dermal naevus cell component lying beneath it. Compound naevi showed proliferating junctional nests of naevus cells pushing through the membrane towards the dermis beneath. In contrasts, dysplastic naevi and melanomas showed a progressive displacement of the membrane downwards. Thin lesions were confined above the membrane. With increasing tumour thickness, discontinuities in the membrane were seen and foxi of invasive growth through the line of the membrane were identified. These studies suggest that the good prognosis of thin melanomas is associated with confinement of the tumour within an expanded epidermis above the basement membrane.