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BRAF mutations in cutaneous melanoma are independently associated with age, anatomic site of the primary tumor, and the degree of solar elastosis at the primary tumor site
Author(s) -
Bauer Jürgen,
Büttner Petra,
Murali Rajmohan,
Okamoto Ichiro,
Kolaitis Nicholas A.,
Landi Maria T.,
Scolyer Richard A.,
Bastian Boris C.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
pigment cell and melanoma research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1755-148X
pISSN - 1755-1471
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-148x.2011.00837.x
Subject(s) - melanoma , mutation , medicine , cancer research , sun exposure , dermatology , pathology , biology , genetics , gene
Summary Oncogenic BRAF mutations are more frequent in cutaneous melanoma occurring at sites with little or moderate sun‐induced damage than at sites with severe cumulative solar ultraviolet (UV) damage. We studied cutaneous melanomas from geographic regions with different levels of ambient UV radiation to delineate the relative effects of cumulative UV damage, age, and anatomic site on the frequency of BRAF mutations. We show that BRAF ‐mutated melanomas occur in a younger age group on skin without marked solar elastosis and less frequently affect the head and neck area, compared to melanomas without BRAF mutations. The findings indicate that BRAF ‐mutated melanomas arise early in life at low cumulative UV doses, whereas melanomas without BRAF mutations require accumulation of high UV doses over time. The effect of anatomic site on the mutation spectrum further suggests regional differences among cutaneous melanocytes.