title: Serum S-100b protein as a prognostic marker in malignant cutaneous melanoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether S-100B protein in serum is an independent prognostic marker in malignant melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  S-100B protein in serum was analyzed in 1,007 consecutive patients with histologically verified cutaneous malignant melanoma. At the time of blood sampling, 876 patients were in clinical stage I, 35 were in stage II, and 96 were in stage III. The serum concentrations of S-100B protein were measured by a luminescence immunoassay (LIA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean serum concentration of S-100B protein was significantly related to clinical stage, with the lowest level in stage I and the highest in stage III. In a multivariate analysis, S-100B protein levels in serum showed the strongest prognostic impact of the factors analyzed with respect to disease-specific survival in clinical stages II to III, followed by clinical stage. Serum S-100B protein was not a significant independent prognostic factor in clinical stage I, where tumor thickness showed the strongest relation to melanoma-specific survival, followed by ulceration and satellites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This investigation contains the largest material of patients so far analyzed with the new LIA assay of S-100B protein in serum and confirms that S-100B protein in serum is correlated with clinical stage and is an independent prognostic marker in clinical stages II and III.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Radiumhemmet, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. evadj@rah.ks.se
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Mårtenson
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: von Schoultz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Månsson Brahme
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ringborg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hansson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011379:Prognosis; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins