title: Diagnostic utility of microphthalmia transcription factor in malignant melanoma and other tumors.
abstract: The diagnosis of malignant melanoma is sometimes challenging. Immunohistochemistry for specific markers of melanocytic differentiation such as HMB-45 and Melan-A can be very valuable in proving melanocytic differentiation in poorly differentiated or spindled forms of melanoma. Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MiTF) is the most recently described and the only nuclear melanocytic marker. This article reviews the biology of MiTF and those published studies that have addressed its diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. MiTF may be very valuable for the diagnosis of melanoma, including desmoplastic variants; melanocytic soft tissue tumors, such as clear cell sarcoma; and the unusual group of tumors that show combined melanocytic and myoid differentiation, the perivascular epithelioid cell family of tumors (PEComas).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010, USA.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Folpe
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497234:MITF protein, human; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors