Differential clinical significance of αvB3 expression in primary lesions of acral lentiginous melanoma and of other melanoma histotypes

✍ Scribed by Toshiro Kageshita; Carl V. Hamby; Shunji Hirai; Toru Kimura; Tomomichi Ono; Soldano Ferrone

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 182 KB
• Volume: 89
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(20000320)89:2<153::aid-ijc9>3.0.co;2-1

✦ Synopsis

Despite its potential clinical relevance, ␣ v ␤ 3 expression has been analyzed only in a limited number of melanoma lesions, mostly nodular melanoma (NM) and superficial spreading melanoma (SSM). Therefore, in the present study, we have correlated ␣ v ␤ 3 expression in 33 acral lentiginous melanomas (ALMs), 6 lentigo maligna melanomas, 7 mucosal melanomas, 12 NMs and 9 SSMs with their antigenic profile, with their histo-pathological characteristics and with the clinical course of the disease. Furthermore, we have compared ␣ v ␤ 3 expression in ALM lesions with that in NM and SSM lesions since this information helps to clarify the relationship of the latter 2 histotypes with ALM. Such a relationship is uncertain since ALM has a clinical course similar to that of NM and SSM despite different antigenic profiles and biological characteristics. The level of ␣ v ␤ 3 expression in primary lesions was not correlated with that of high-m.w. melanoma-associated antigen and intercellular adhesion molecule-1, with lesion thickness and with disease recurrence in ALM but was significantly correlated with these 4 parameters in the other melanoma histotypes analyzed. Therefore, ␣ v ␤ 3 expression appears to have a differential clinical significance in ALM and in the other histotypes of melanoma we have analyzed since it appears to play a significant role in the progression of the disease only in non-ALM histotypes.