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Updated: Mar 19, 2026
Patient Derived Cell Culture and Isolation of CD133+ Putative Cancer Stem Cells from Melanoma
Published on: March 13, 2013
Karyometry of malignant melanoma cells present in skin strippings
G E Piérard1, N Ezzine-Sebai1, B Fazaa1
1Department of Dermatopathology, University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
Background/Aims:
Skin strippings harvest the malignant melanoma cells eliminated through the stratum corneum. In this study, morphometry was applied to such non-invasive samplings in order to derive objective information about nuclear atypia.
Method:
Cyanoacrylate skin surface strippings were collected from 140 malignant melanomas. Karyometry was performed to quantify the size and shape of malignant cell nuclei.
Results:
Anisokaryosis was prominent although the outline of nuclei were rather smooth.
Conclusion:
Image analysis of skin strippings harvested from malignant melanomas shows that anisokaryosis is the major cytologic feature of malignant melanoma cells in transit in the stratum corneum.
