Pathology Unit, Ospedale Maggiore, 40139 Bologna, Italy.
Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 May 25;23(11):5911. doi: 10.3390/ijms23115911.
Cutaneous melanoma (cM) is the deadliest of all primary skin cancers. Its prognosis is strongly influenced by the stage at diagnosis, with early stages having a good prognosis and being potentially treatable with surgery alone; advanced stages display a much worse prognosis, with a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. For this reason, the accurate and early diagnosis of cM is crucial-misdiagnosis may have extremely dangerous consequences for the patient and drastically reduce their chances of survival. Although the histological exam remains the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of cM, a continuously increasing number of immunohistochemical markers that could help in diagnosis, prognostic characterization, and appropriate therapeutical choices are identified every day, with some of them becoming part of routine practice. This review aims to discuss and summarize all the data related to the immunohistochemical analyses that are potentially useful for the diagnosis of cM, thus rendering it easier to appropriately applicate to routine practice. We will discuss these topics, as well as the role of these molecules in the biology of cM and potential impact on diagnosis and treatment, integrating the literature data with the experience of our surgical pathology department.
皮肤黑色素瘤（cM）是所有原发性皮肤癌中最致命的一种。其预后受诊断时的分期强烈影响，早期具有良好的预后，单独手术即可治疗；晚期则预后较差，复发和转移率较高。因此，cM 的准确和早期诊断至关重要——误诊可能对患者造成极其危险的后果，并大大降低其生存机会。尽管组织学检查仍然是 cM 诊断的“金标准”，但每天都有越来越多的免疫组织化学标志物被确定有助于诊断、预后特征和适当的治疗选择，其中一些已成为常规实践的一部分。本文旨在讨论和总结与免疫组织化学分析相关的所有数据，这些数据可能对 cM 的诊断有用，从而更容易在常规实践中应用。我们将讨论这些主题，以及这些分子在 cM 生物学中的作用及其对诊断和治疗的潜在影响，将文献数据与我们外科病理学部门的经验相结合。
