Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

A 3D Organotypic Melanoma Spheroid Skin Model
Published on: May 18, 2018
Melanoma and stroma: an interaction of biological and prognostic importance
J Smolle1, R Hofmann-Wellenhof, R Fink-Puches
1Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria.
Abstract:
Stromal relationships are crucial to metastatic spread of solid malignancies. Some aspects of this stroma interaction are obviously associated with particular morphological features, which may carry prognostic significance. In cutaneous melanoma, level of invasion, arrangement of cells (horizontal or vertical growth phase), neovascularization, vessel invasion, architecture of the border, and inflammatory infiltrate have been examined. Expression of adhesion molecules, signalling factors, cytoskeletal components, extracellular matrix molecules and matrix-degrading enzymes have been assessed by immunohistology and in situ hybridization. Besides providing prognostic information, a thorough evaluation of stromal relationships may help to increase our knowledge about factors mediating the growth and metastatic spread of malignancies.
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