title: Dermatopathological indicators of poor melanoma prognosis are significantly inversely correlated with the expression of NM23 protein in primary cutaneous melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some dermatopathological parameters are recognized as dominant indicators of high metastatic potential in melanoma, especially Breslow thickness, ulceration, Clark's level of invasion and mitotic rate. Because NM23 protein is the product of a melanoma metastasis suppressor gene, the aim of this study was to compare such dermatopathological indicators of melanoma prognosis with NM23 protein expression in primary cutaneous melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The immunohistochemical NM23 expression was semiquantitatively assessed in 30 primary cutaneous melanomas. Ten dermatopathological parameters were evaluated and compared with NM23 expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant inverse correlation was found for NM23 expression in comparison with Breslow thickness (p < 0.01), ulceration (p < 0.05), Clark's level (p < 0.01), mitotic rate (p < 0.05), and vertical growth phase (p < 0.05). By contrast, no significant correlation was found for NM23 expression in comparison with cell morphology, presence of adjacent nevus, pigmentation, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and regression was impossible to evaluate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of NM23 protein in primary cutaneous melanoma is significantly inversely correlated with dermatopathological parameters currently recognized as powerful indicators of melanoma prognosis. NM23 may be therefore considered in the dermatopathological evaluation of primary cutaneous melanoma.
authors: Section of Dermatology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Parma University, Parma, Italy. donata_ferrari@libero.it
authors: Donata
authors: D
authors: Ferrari
authors: Mara
authors: M
authors: Lombardi
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Ricci
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Michiara
authors: Marcello
authors: M
authors: Santini
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: De Panfilis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008938:Mitosis; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; C517938:NME1 protein, human; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase