title: Skin layer-specific Melan-A expression during progression of human cutaneous melanoma: implications for diagnostic applications of the marker.
abstract: Melan-A is widely used in the diagnostics of human melanoma. The immunogenicity of this glycoprotein makes it a potential target in immunotherapy and several authors have suggested its potential as a prognostic factor. Up to now there has been no clear direct evidence of changes of Melan-A expression during the progression of melanoma. We have performed objective immunohistochemical assessment of the expression of Melan-A in benign naevi and melanomas at different stages of progression. Our results show a complex pattern of changes in the expression of Melan-A in melanomas depending on the location of melanoma cells within individual skin layers. The expression of the antigen during tumour progression significantly decreases for melanoma cells located in the granular/spinous layer (r=-0.94, P=0.02) and increases for the papillary layer (r=0.99, P=0.002) and reticular layer (r=0.89, P=0.04). It should also be emphasized that from the Clark II level of progression the melanomas can be detected with high sensitivity and specificity using a simple cut-off test based on the determination of Melan-A expression in tumour cells located within the papillary layer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biology, Institute of General and Molecular Biology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruñ, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sztramska
authors.forename: Dagmara
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dymerska
authors.forename: Barbara W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Chwirot
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D058965:MART-1 Antigen; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009506:Nevus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; D058965:MART-1 Antigen; C548667:MLANA protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins