title: The clinical significance of oncogene expression in subungual melanoma.
abstract: Subungual melanoma is a particularly aggressive tumour. However, biological investigations of its behaviour are presently lacking due to its comparative rarity. In order to study the biology of this disease, the activity of the c-myc oncogene was studied in tumours from 24 patients with subungual melanoma using the technique of flow cytometry. High levels of oncoprotein were found in all tumours and exceeded that documented in other varieties of cutaneous melanoma. Survival analysis revealed that stratification of patients according to oncogene activity provided a useful prognostic marker with shorter disease free interval (log rank test, chi 2 = 6.6, P = 0.01) and overall survival (log rank test, chi 2 = 3.6, P = 0.07) in tumours with high oncoprotein levels. This is the first study to investigate oncogene expression in subungual disease and supports its potential application as a prognostic marker.
authors.affiliation: RAFT Institute of Plastic Surgery, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Grobbelaar
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forder
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanders
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc