Reduced pSmad2 immunodetection correlates with increased primary melanoma thickness

Insights into the Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling Pathway in Cutaneous Melanoma

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic growth factor with broad tissue distribution that plays critical roles during embryonic development, normal tissue homeostasis, and cancer. While its cytostatic activity on normal epithelial cells initially defined TGF-β signaling as a tumor suppressor pathway, there is ample evidence indicating that TGF-β is a potent pro-tumorigenic agent, acting via autocrine and paracrine mechanisms to promote peri-tumoral angiogenesis, together with tumor cell migration, immune escape, and dissemination to metastatic sites. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the implication of TGF-β signaling in melanoma.

Biomarkers: the useful and the not so useful--an assessment of molecular prognostic markers for cutaneous melanoma

Among individuals with localized (Stage I-II) melanoma, stratifying patients by a number of phenotypic variables (e.g., depth of invasion, ulceration) yields a wide range of 10-year melanoma-specific survival rates. With the possible exception of Ki-67, no molecular assessment is routinely used. However, there have been a tremendous number of studies assessing protein expression by immunohistochemistry toward the goal of better prediction of recurrence. In a previous systematic review, which required publication of multivariable prognostic models as a strict inclusion criterion, we identified 37 manuscripts that collectively reported on 62 proteins. Data for 324 proteins extracted from 418 manuscripts did not meet our inclusion criteria for that study, but are revisited here, emphasizing trends of protein expression across either melanocytic lesion progression or gradations of tumor thickness. These identified 101 additional proteins that stratify melanoma, organized according to the Hanahan and Weinberg functional capabilities of cancer.