Immunohistochemical Profile of Oral Mucosal and Head and Neck Cutaneous Melanoma Publisher Pubmed



Alaeddini M¹ ; Etemadmoghadam S¹
Source: Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine Published:2015

Abstract

Background: In addition to ultraviolet radiation exposure, various molecular markers may differ between oral mucosal and cutaneous head and neck melanomas and lead to variations in their biologic behavior and prognosis. The aim of this study was to compare four such markers, namely microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF), P75, P53, and Ki-67 in malignant melanomas originating from the oral cavity and head and neck skin. Methods: A total of 19 oral mucosal and 23 head and neck cutaneous melanomas were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis using antibodies against MITF, P75, P53, and Ki-67. Statistical comparison of data was performed by t-test and chi-square analysis (P < 0.05). Results: Significant differences in MITF (P = 0.016) and Ki-67 (P = 0.002) were observed between oral mucosal and cutaneous melanomas. P75 (P = 0.80) and P53 (P = 0.76) did not differ significantly, between these locations. Conclusions: According to the results obtained in this study, the biological properties of cutaneous and mucosal melanoma differ, especially regarding MITF and Ki-67. © 2014 John Wiley and Sons A/S.