title: BRAF mutations in cutaneous melanoma are independently associated with age, anatomic site of the primary tumor, and the degree of solar elastosis at the primary tumor site.
abstract: Oncogenic BRAF mutations are more frequent in cutaneous melanoma occurring at sites with little or moderate sun-induced damage than at sites with severe cumulative solar ultraviolet (UV) damage. We studied cutaneous melanomas from geographic regions with different levels of ambient UV radiation to delineate the relative effects of cumulative UV damage, age, and anatomic site on the frequency of BRAF mutations. We show that BRAF-mutated melanomas occur in a younger age group on skin without marked solar elastosis and less frequently affect the head and neck area, compared to melanomas without BRAF mutations. The findings indicate that BRAF-mutated melanomas arise early in life at low cumulative UV doses, whereas melanomas without BRAF mutations require accumulation of high UV doses over time. The effect of anatomic site on the mutation spectrum further suggests regional differences among cutaneous melanocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Büttner
authors.forename: Rajmohan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murali
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kolaitis
authors.forename: Maria T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Landi
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Scolyer
authors.forename: Boris C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bastian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009154:Mutation; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D013472:Sunlight; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf