Neoplasma. 2016;63(2):282-7. doi: 10.4149/215_150714N389.
Thymidylate synthase (TS) plays an essential role in the pathogenesis and development of cancer, and TS-targeting agents have been widely used against different types of cancers. However, it remains still unclear whether or not TS is expressed in malignant melanoma. We conducted the clinicopathological study to investigate the prognostic significance of TS expression in cutaneous malignant melanoma. Ninety-nine patients with surgically resected cutaneous malignant melanoma were assessed. Tumor sections were stained by immunohistochemistry for TS, Ki-67, and microvessel density (MVD) determined by CD34. TS was positively expressed in 26% (26 out of 99). The expression of TS was significantly associated with T factor, cell proliferation (Ki-67) and MVD (CD34). By Spearman's rank test, TS expression was significantly correlated with Ki67 and CD34. By univariate analysis, ulceration, disease stage, TS, Ki-67 and CD34 had a significant relationship with survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed that TS was an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis of cutaneous malignant melanoma. The positive expression of TS could be a useful marker for predicting poor prognosis in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma, and TS-targeting agents may be worth trying for the treatment of this dismal disease.
胸苷酸合成酶（TS）在癌症的发病机制和发展中起着重要作用，TS 靶向药物已广泛用于治疗不同类型的癌症。然而，TS 是否在恶性黑色素瘤中表达仍不清楚。我们进行了临床病理研究，以探讨 TS 表达在皮肤恶性黑色素瘤中的预后意义。对 99 例手术切除的皮肤恶性黑色素瘤患者进行评估。肿瘤切片通过免疫组织化学染色检测 TS、Ki-67 和 CD34 确定的微血管密度（MVD）。26%（26/99）的患者 TS 呈阳性表达。TS 的表达与 T 因子、细胞增殖（Ki-67）和 MVD（CD34）显著相关。通过 Spearman 等级检验，TS 表达与 Ki67 和 CD34 显著相关。通过单因素分析，溃疡、疾病分期、TS、Ki-67 和 CD34 与生存有显著关系。多因素分析证实，TS 是皮肤恶性黑色素瘤预后不良的独立预后因素。TS 的阳性表达可能是预测皮肤恶性黑色素瘤患者预后不良的有用标志物，TS 靶向药物可能值得尝试用于治疗这种预后不良的疾病。
