title: Comparative expression analysis of putative cancer stem cell markers CD44 and ALDH1A1 in various skin cancer subtypes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin cancers, particularly melanoma, are initiated and maintained by a subpopulation of tumor cells expressing stemness markers that are called cancer stem cells (CSCs). This study aimed to evaluate the expression levels and clinicopathological significance of the putative CSC markers CD44 and ALDH1A1 in patients with skin cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression levels of CD44 and ALDH1A1 were investigated in 107 skin cancer specimens including 58 (54%) basal cell carcinomas (BCC), 37 (35%) squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), and 12 (11%) melanomas using the tissue microarray (TMA) technique. The correlation of the expression levels of these markers and clinicopathological parameters was then analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression levels of CD44 and ALDH1A1 were significantly higher in melanoma patients than patients with SCC or BCC (p&lt;0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). A higher level of CD44 expression was more often found in melanoma tumor cells with a higher rate of recurrence (p = 0.029) and in SCC cases with ulceration (p = 0.01), while there was no significant correlation between ALDH1A1 expression and other clinicopathological parameters. Similarly, coexpression of CD44 and ALDH1A1 (CD44high/ALDH1A1high) was significantly observed in melanoma samples (p&lt;0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that a CD44high/ALDH1A1high phenotype in melanoma and a CD44high phenotype in SCC can be considered candidates for targeted therapy of skin cancers aiming at CSCs.
authors.affiliation: Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran - Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Erfani
authors.affiliation: Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran - Iran.|Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran - Iran.
authors.forename: Raheleh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran - Iran.
authors.forename: Azadeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rakhshan
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran - Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad Nasrollahzadeh
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Sabet
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY - USA.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shariftabrizi
authors.affiliation: Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran - Iran.|Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran - Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Madjd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; C510223:ALDH1A1 protein, human; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase