Nestin is expressed in HMB-45 negative melanoma cells in dermal parts of nodular melanoma

Clinical Study on the Increased Incidence of Nodular Melanoma Cases Compared to Superficial Melanoma

Our study group was comprised of 67 patients with melanoma, admitted and operated in our clinic between 2010-2018. Only the patients with melanoma localized on the head, torso and upper limb were selected for our study. We attempted to establish a link between the clinical appearance, presence or absence of ulceration, presence or absence of regional lymphadenopathy or distant metastases, surgical technique, histopathological type, Clark level and Breslow depth, disease stage (TNM), adjuvant therapies and survival rates at 1, 3, 5 and 10 years.

[Immunohistochemical and genetic profiles of melanomas with spindle cell morphology]

OBJECTIVE

to comparatively study the immunohistochemical profile and to analyze mutations in the BRAF and N-RAS genes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The spindle cell melanomas taken from the Institute's archives were divided into 6 groups according to the results of clinical and morphological analyses and follow-up studies. Immunohistochemical examination was conducted in 58 cases, including 19 nodular spindle cell melanomas, 10 superficial spreading melanomas, 4 combined melanomas, 8 sarcoma- toid melanomas, 13 mixed desmoplastic melanomas, and 4 pure desmoplastic melanomas.

RESULTS

All tumors of the spectrum in question expressed S100, SOX10, KBA.62, nestin, and cyclin D1. The rate of positive staining was 80% for MITF, 69% for PNL2, 61% for HMB45, 58% for Melan A, 36% for CD117, and 35% for SMA. The expression of HMB45 and Melan A was diffuse and marked in the groups of nodular and superficial spreading melanomas; sarcomatoid and mixed desmoplastic melanomas showed only scattered stained cells; pure desmoplastic melanomas were negative to these markers. SMA immunoexpression was observed in only sarcomatoid and desmoplastic types. Dual S100 staining showed a separate actin-positive myofibroblast-like population disappearing in more cellular zones. EMA, claudin 1, and DOG1 were negative in all cases. BRAFV expression was detected in 14% (in 2 nodular and 1 superficial spreading melanomas) and correlated with the presence of mutation. NRAS mutation was found in 1 nodular spindle cell melanoma. Desmoplastic melanomas did not harbor the above mutations.

CONCLUSION

This study indicates the variant heterogeneity of spindle cell melanomas, as confirmed by clinical, morphological, immunohistochemical, and molecular examinations. The findings may be useful in the differential diagnosis of these tumors.

No one should die of melanoma: a vision or impossible mission?

While the incidence of early-stage melanoma has dramatically increased over the past decades, the incidence and mortality rates of thick melanomas have remained relatively stable during the same period. A number of alternative theories have been postulated in order to explain these divergent trends between thin and thick melanomas, among which is the question of whether nodular melanoma may originate in the dermis. This concept has gained support from recent improvements in the understanding of the origin of melanocytes and the morphological and molecular diversity of melanoma. A dermal origin would plausibly explain why efforts at improving the early detection of melanoma largely fail, as it implies an initially intradermal growth that is hidden from our eyes until clinical signs and symptoms become only secondarily apparent. In light of this, at the current stage, the vision that no one should die of melanoma is an impossible mission.

CD10 expression by melanoma cells is associated with aggressive behavior in vitro and predicts rapid metastatic progression in humans

BACKGROUND

No biological or molecular marker of primary melanoma tumor cells has been shown to predict clinical outcome in melanoma.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether CD10, CD133, nestin and CD20 may evaluate the prognosis of melanoma.

METHODS

The differential expression of these molecules was assessed in pairs of cell lines. We evaluated, by both immunohistochemical staining and RT-qPCR, their expression in a cohort of 32 patients (68 samples) with a history of metastatic melanoma, divided into two groups according to their clinical outcome profile.

RESULTS

CD10 over expression in cancer cell lines was associated with more aggressive behavior in vitro. A CD10-positive staining was more frequent in patients in the "rapidly progressive" group than those in the "long survivor" group (23/35 versus 2/18, p<10(-4)). CD10 expression was associated with a lower median overall survival (1.15 year - IQR: [0.50-2.58] versus 4.27 - IQR: [1.66-6.33]; p=10(-4)). The Odds Ratio of displaying a "rapidly progressive" melanoma when tumor cells expressed CD10 was 15 (95% confidence interval: [3-78]). After adjusting for confounding factors, CD10 expression in melanoma tumor cells remained associated with an increased risk of death and more rapid disease progression (p=6×10(-4); HR=3.71).

CONCLUSION

CD10 may predict clinical outcome in melanoma patients.

Superficial spreading and nodular melanoma are distinct biological entities: a challenge to the linear progression model

The classification of melanoma subtypes into prognostically relevant and therapeutically insightful categories has been a challenge since the first description of melanoma in the 1800s. One limitation has been the assumption that the two most common histological subtypes of melanoma, superficial spreading and nodular, evolve according to a linear model of progression, as malignant melanocytes spread radially and then invade vertically. However, recent clinical, pathological, and molecular data indicate that these two histological subtypes might evolve as distinct entities. Here, we review the published data that support distinct molecular characterization of superficial spreading and nodular melanoma, the clinical significance of this distinction including prognostic relevance and the therapeutic implications.

Novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for optimizing the therapeutic management of melanomas

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer with an extremely poor survival rate for the patients diagnosed with locally invasive and metastatic disease states. Intensive research has led in last few years to an improvement of the early detection and curative treatment of primary cutaneous melanomas that are confined to the skin by tumor surgical resection. However, locally advanced and disseminated melanomas are generally resistant to conventional treatments, including ionizing radiation, systemic chemotherapy, immunotherapy and/or adjuvant stem cell-based therapies, and result in the death of patients. The rapid progression of primary melanomas to locally invasive and/or metastatic disease states remains a major obstacle for an early effective diagnosis and a curative therapeutic intervention for melanoma patients. Importantly, recent advances in the melanoma research have led to the identification of different gene products that are often implicated in the malignant transformation of melanocytic cells into melanoma cells, including melanoma stem/progenitor cells, during melanoma initiation and progression to locally advanced and metastatic disease states. The frequent deregulated genes products encompass the oncogenic B-RafV600E and N-RasQ61R mutants, different receptor tyrosine kinases and developmental pathways such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), stem cell-like factor (SCF) receptor KIT, hedgehog, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)/CXC chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGFR receptor. These growth factors can cooperate to activate distinct tumorigenic downstream signaling elements and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated molecules, including phosphatidylinositol 3’-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/ molecular target of rapamycin (mTOR), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1), vimentin, snail and twist. Of therapeutic relevance, these deregulated signal transduction components constitute new potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets of great clinical interest for improving the efficacy of current diagnostic and prognostic methods and management of patients diagnosed with locally advanced, metastatic and/or relapsed melanomas.

Nestin in gastrointestinal and other cancers: Effects on cells and tumor angiogenesis

Nestin is a class VI intermediate filament protein that was originally described as a neuronal stem cell marker during central nervous system (CNS) development, and is currently widely used in that capacity. Nestin is also expressed in non-neuronal immature or progenitor cells in normal tissues. Under pathological conditions, nestin is expressed in repair processes in the CNS, muscle, liver, and infarcted myocardium. Furthermore, increased nestin expression has been reported in various tumor cells, including CNS tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, malignant melanoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberances, and thyroid tumors. Nestin is reported to correlate with aggressive growth, metastasis, and poor prognosis in some tumors; however, the roles of nestin in cancer cells have not been well characterized. Furthermore, nestin is more specifically expressed in proliferating small-sized tumor vessels in glioblastoma and gastric, colorectal, and prostate cancers than are other tumor vessel markers. These findings indicate that nestin may be a marker for newly synthesized tumor vessels and a therapeutic target for tumor angiogenesis. It has received a lot of attention recently as a cancer stem cell marker in various cancer cells including brain tumors, malignant rhabdoid tumors, and uterine, cervical, prostate, bladder, head and neck, ovarian, testicular, and pancreatic cancers. The purpose of this review is to clarify the roles of nestin in cancer cells and in tumor angiogenesis, and to examine the association between nestin and cancer stem cells. Nestin has the potential to serve as a molecular target for cancers with nestin-positive cancer cells and nestin-positive tumor vasculature.