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No evidence for c-erbB-2 overexpression in cutaneous melanoma
R Fink-Puches1, P Pilarski, U Schmidbauer
1Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria.
Background:
Recent studies have demonstrated the expression of the c-erbB-2 (HER-2/neu) oncoprotein in several malignant tumors and have related its overexpression with poor prognosis. Because cutaneous melanoma is a malignant tumor associated with poor prognosis, we investigated the expression of c-erbB-2 protein in cutaneous melanoma and in melanoma metastatic to the skin.
Materials And Methods:
The expression of c-erbB-2 protein in 20 primary cutaneous melanomas and in 10 melanomas metastatic to the skin was investigated using a semi-quantitative immunohistochemical assay.
Results:
No specific staining with c-erbB-2 antibody was observed in any of the 20 cases of primary malignant melanoma or 10 cases of melanoma metastatic to the skin.
Conclusion:
c-erbB-2 overexpression does not appear to play a role in the development of primary cutaneous melanoma or in the development of metastatic melanoma, indicating that mechanisms other than c-erbB-2 overexpression are involved in the pathogenesis of cutaneous melanoma.