Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
A Robust Discovery Platform for the Identification of Novel Mediators of Melanoma Metastasis
Published on: March 8, 2022
Glycoconjugate profiling of primary melanoma and its sentinel node and distant metastases: implications for diagnosis
Anka Thies1, Anke Berlin, Georg Brunner
1Institut für Anatomie II: Experimentelle Morphologie, Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany. thies@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Abstract:
Aiming at more precise detection of melanoma cells in sentinel lymph nodes and better understanding of the mechanisms underlying metastatic spread, expression of L1, CEACAM1, and binding of the lectins HPA, ML-I and PNA, was assessed in benign nevi (n=12), primary melanomas (PTs: n=67), their corresponding sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs: n=40), and distant metastases (DMs: n=35). Sensitivity and specificity of CEACAM1 (95-97%; 66%) and L1 (90-93%; 100%) exceeded that of the standard markers MelanA, S100, and HMB45 in single marker use. Lectin binding was found in PTs and DMs (HPA: 69% and 77%; ML-I: 82% and 77%, respectively), but rarely in SLNMs (HPA: 20%, ML-I: 20%, PNA: 5%, respectively). The highly specific and sensitive L1-11A against L1 and 4D1/C2 against CEACAM1 antibodies are a worthy completion to standard antibody panels for diagnosis of melanoma cells. Both CAMs seem to be functionally involved in lymphatic and haematogenous spread, and are thus promising target molecules for immunotoxins.
