No evidence for c-erbB-2 overexpression in cutaneous melanoma.
BACKGROUND
Recent studies have demonstrated the expression of the c-erbB-2 (HER-2/neu) oncoprotein in several malignant tumors and have related its overexpression with poor prognosis. Because cutaneous melanoma is a malignant tumor associated with poor prognosis, we investigated the expression of c-erbB-2 protein in cutaneous melanoma and in melanoma metastatic to the skin.


METHODS
The expression of c-erbB-2 protein in 20 primary cutaneous melanomas and in 10 melanomas metastatic to the skin was investigated using a semi-quantitative immunohistochemical assay.


RESULTS
No specific staining with c-erbB-2 antibody was observed in any of the 20 cases of primary malignant melanoma or 10 cases of melanoma metastatic to the skin.


CONCLUSIONS
c-erbB-2 overexpression does not appear to play a role in the development of primary cutaneous melanoma or in the development of metastatic melanoma, indicating that mechanisms other than c-erbB-2 overexpression are involved in the pathogenesis of cutaneous melanoma.
Fink-Puches
R
R
Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria.
Pilarski
P
P
Schmidbauer
U
U
Kerl
H
H
Soyer
H P
HP
D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases