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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Analysis of Lymph Node Volume by Ultra-High-Frequency Ultrasound Imaging in the Braf/Pten Genetically Engineered Mouse Model of Melanoma
Published on: September 8, 2021
Prognostic value of tyrosinase reverse transcriptase PCR analysis in melanoma sentinel lymph nodes: long-term
M González Cao1, C Badenas, J Malvehy
1Medical Oncology Department (ICHMO), Institute of Biomedical Investigations August Pi I Sunyer, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.
Objective:
To determine the prognostic value of detecting tyrosinase transcripts in melanoma sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs).
Methods:
Reverse transcription (RT) PCR for tyrosinase mRNA was performed on negative SLNs of 76 patients with melanoma.
Results:
Tyrosinase mRNA was found in 39 patients (51.3%). After a median follow-up period of 51 months, significant differences were found in overall survival (OS) but not in disease-free survival (DFS). The 5-year OS and DFS rates were 97.2% and 80%, respectively, for RT-PCR tyrosinase-negative (TN) patients vs. 78.67% and 66.24% for RT-PCR tyrosinase-positive (TP) patients (P = 0.019 and P = 0.38, respectively). Of four progressing patients in the TN group, three relapsed with subcutaneous, soft-tissue or lymph-node metastases, while seven out of nine progressing patients in the TP group relapsed at visceral sites.
Conclusions:
No significant differences in DFS were found by RT-PCR tyrosinase expression analysis at melanoma SLNs. Significant differences in OS could be related to a different pattern of relapse and must be confirmed after a longer follow-up time.
