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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
A Robust Discovery Platform for the Identification of Novel Mediators of Melanoma Metastasis
Published on: March 8, 2022
Clinical validation of a gene expression signature that differentiates benign nevi from malignant melanoma
Loren E Clarke1, M B Warf, Darl D Flake
1Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Background:
Histopathologic examination is sometimes inadequate for accurate and reproducible diagnosis of certain melanocytic neoplasms. As a result, more sophisticated and objective methods have been sought. The goal of this study was to identify a gene expression signature that reliably differentiated benign and malignant melanocytic lesions and evaluate its potential clinical applicability. Herein, we describe the development of a gene expression signature and its clinical validation using multiple independent cohorts of melanocytic lesions representing a broad spectrum of histopathologic subtypes.
Methods:
Using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on a selected set of 23 differentially expressed genes, and by applying a threshold value and weighting algorithm, we developed a gene expression signature that produced a score that differentiated benign nevi from malignant melanomas.
Results:
The gene expression signature classified melanocytic lesions as benign or malignant with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 93% in a training cohort of 464 samples. The signature was validated in an independent clinical cohort of 437 samples, with a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 91%.
Conclusions:
The performance, objectivity, reliability and minimal tissue requirements of this test suggest that it could have clinical application as an adjunct to histopathology in the diagnosis of melanocytic neoplasms.
