Applications of array technology: melanoma research and diagnosis

A complex set of genetic alterations occurs within a cell in order to permit neoplastic transformation. Human cancers undergo a continuous development from benign to malignant states, as most thoroughly documented in the mole-to-melanoma transition. Several specific genetic and transcriptional events correlate with the prolonged multistep sequence from early to late clinical stages of the disease. High-throughput microarrays are being used in expression profiling analyses with the aim of discovering genes and their pathways, functional characterization of genes and tumor subclassification. There are, however, many potential pitfalls in the use of microarrays that result in false leads and erroneous conclusions. This review summarizes the current status of the application of microarray technology in melanoma research. It also attempts to outline some of the steps needed to develop the key features to be observed in developing diagnostic and prognostic classification systems based upon gene expression profiling.