Tag Archives: malignant melanoma

Primary Cutaneous Melanoma: 7-year Follow-up (2003–2009)

Chifu M. D.1, Sin Anca2, Chifu Madalina3, Milutin Doina1, Mocan Simona1

1 Department of Pathology, University of Medicine Targu Mures Romania
2 Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Targu Mureş
3 Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Targu Mureş

Background: Primary cutaneous melanoma constitutes the main cause of skin cancer death in developed countries, and its incidence in recent years has been increasing in a steady, worrisome manner.
Aim: This study evaluated the histopathological aspects of this disease, and correlated them with patient prognosis.
Material and methods: The study included 138 patients with mild to severe primary cutaneous melanoma who were diagnosed in the Laboratory of Pathology Targu Mures during 2003–2009. Data were provided from hospital registers and the statistical analysis was performed by using the computer program called Excel.
Results: We found 76 malignant melanoma in females and 62 in males. The most common lesion areas were: the lower limbs (50), and the trunk (41).
Conclusions: Malignant cutaneous melanoma is still a major clinical challenge because all our patients with advanced tumors were diagnosed with poor prognosis.

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Preliminary Results on Clinico-pathological and Immunohistochemical Features of Malignant Melanomas

Ciortea Carmen Diana1, Gurzu Simona2, Zdrob Simona Maria2, Jung I2

1 Department of Dermatovenerology, County Emergency Clinical Hospital, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania
2 Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2013-0047

Objective: To perform a retrospective clinico-pathological and immunohistochemical analysis of malignant melanomas.
Methods: One-hundred sixty consecutive cases diagnosed in the Department of Pathology of the County Emergency Clinical Hospital of Tîrgu Mureş, Romania, between January 2000 – December 2009, were used. Of these, 47 cases were melanoma metastases that were excluded from the study; this research was focused on the study of 113 primary melanomas (PMs). In 20 cases of PMs (11 cutaneous, 5 choroidal, and 4 melanomas of the anal canal) immunohistochemical stains were performed using the antibodies p53, Ki67, ER (estrogen receptor), CD8 and CD31.
Results: Cutaneous PMs prevailed (83%) followed by choroidal (11%), digestive tract (4%) and nasal mucosa PMs (2%). Independent of their location, PMs predominantly affected females (58%) over age 50. Regarding cutaneous cases, lower limbs (49%) were more affected, followed by the head and neck (18%) and the trunk (18%). We noted negativity or low p53-nuclear positivity in cutaneous and digestive tract PMs; p53 was overexpressed in choroidal melanomas. On the other hand, although the proliferative index Ki67 was also quite low in cutaneous PMs, its percentage increased in choroidal and digestive tract PMs. CD8 was positive in cutaneous PMs and negative in choroidal and digestive tract cases. While in cutaneous PMs we noted a predominated angiogenesis by intussusception, in digestive tract melanomas there was a predominance of sprouting and pseudoglomeruloid mechanisms.
Conclusions: Choroidal PMs display the highest p53 and Ki-67 expression, compared to cutaneous MMs. Tumor angiogenesis seems to present a specific pathway in cutaneous PMS compared to the gastrointestinal cases.

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