Lymphatic invasion as a prognostic biomarker in primary cutaneous melanoma

Melanoma has a propensity for lymph node metastasis. However, the incidence of lymphatic invasion detected by histology alone in primary melanoma is disproportionately low in comparison to the incidence of positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). With the discovery of lymphatic endothelial cell markers, such as podoplanin and LYVE-1, lymphatic vessels can be reliably detected in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. There is a now consensus that lymphatic invasion detected by immunohistochemical stains in primary melanoma is much more common than previously reported by histological examination alone. Immunohistochemical stains show that lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic invasion in primary melanoma may occur intratumorally or peritumorally, and lymphatic invasion is common across the range of tumor thicknesses in primary vertical growth phase (VGP) melanomas. A number of studies have shown that lymphatic invasion in primary melanoma is associated with a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy and a worse clinical outcome. Although not currently a part of the standard of care for staging of melanoma, the detection of lymphatic invasion in primary melanoma using immunohistochemical markers may be helpful in planning of therapy in some cases and may find a routine role in primary melanoma microscopic attributes in future.