title: Expression of p16, CD95, CD95L and Helix pomatia agglutinin in relapsing and nonrelapsing very thin melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing worldwide and patients are being diagnosed earlier with thinner primary lesions. Most patients with very thin melanoma (Breslow thickness < 0.76 mm) are cured by surgery but 2-18% relapse locally or with distant metastases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to establish potential new prognostic markers in very thin melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified a group of subjects with relapsing very thin primary cutaneous melanoma and a matched control group who had not relapsed. We investigated the expression of p16, Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA), CD95 and CD95 ligand (CD95L) by immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded tissue sections from the subject group, their subsequent metastases and the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reduced p16 expression was significantly associated with relapse in very thin melanoma (P = 0.0129). Loss of p16 expression was also found in 76% of metastases. There was no significant association between HPA, CD95 or CD95L expression and subsequent relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This work is the first to show a significant loss of p16 in relapsing very thin melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Imperial College School of Medicine (START Laboratories), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK. louise.fearfield@royalberkshire.nhs.uk
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Fearfield
authors.forename: J M G
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Larkin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: A'Hern
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: MacKie
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gore
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Bunker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000378:metabolism; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C038095:Helix lectin; D037102:Lectins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor