ABSTRACT
@#[Abstract] Objective: To explore the expression patterns of melanoma lineage antigens and nuclear antigen Ki-67 and their correlations with survival in melanoma patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted to analyze the pathological data of melanoma patients treated at the Department of Melanoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital from February 2008 to August 2020, mainly including the expression patterns of melanoma lineage antigens (S-100, HMB-45, Melan-A) and Ki-67, demographics, clinical features and survival. The correlation between expression patterns of melanoma lineage antigens, Ki-67 and melanoma-specific survival (MSS) was analyzed. Results: In total, 603 patients were included in this study. The median follow-up time was 47.4 months. The positive rates of S-100, HMB, and Melan-A were 92.8%, 92.1% and 90.0%, respectively. The percentages of patients with melanoma lineage antigen scores (S-100, HMB-45 and Melan-A was scored each, as 1 when positive and 0 when negative) of 0, 1, 2, and 3 were 0.5%, 5.0%, 15.6%, and 78.8%, respectively. The percentages of patients with Ki-67 scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 were 43.0%, 36.3%, 16.3%, and 4.5%, respectively. Ki-67 was highly expressed in mucosal and progressive melanomas. In a multivariate analysis, Ki-67 expression was an independent prognostic factor for poorer MSS (HR=1.506, 95%CI: 1.248-1.818, P<0.001) as the incidence of MSS event increased by 50% per 25% increase in Ki-67 expression, whereas there was no statistical correlation between melanoma lineage antigen expression and MSS (HR=0.991, 95%CI: 0.759-1.293, P=0.94). Conclusion: High expressions melanoma lineage antigens are ubiquitous in melanoma tissues, and Ki-67 is an independent prognostic factor for MSS.
ABSTRACT
@#[Abstract] Objective: Elevated levels of soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) are associated with worse prognosis of renal cell carcinoma and multiple myeloma. However, the regulatory roles and functions of sPD-L1 in advanced melanoma are not fully understood. This study was designed to evaluate the association between circulating sPD-L1 concentrations and prognosis of patients with advanced acral or mucosal melanoma. Methods: A total of 102 untreated patients with advanced acral and mucosal melanoma admitted to Peking University Cancer Hospital between January 2012 and December 2015 were enrolled in this study. In the meanwhile, peripheral blood samples were obtained from 40 healthy donors. Circulating sPD-L1 concentrations were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The advanced melanoma cohort included 58 acral melanoma patients and 44 mucosal melanoma patients. The pre-treatment concentration of sPD-L1 (2.91±2.23 ng/ml) in plasma of patients group was elevated as compared with that in healthy donors (0.59 ng/ml). The concentration of sPD-L1 in serum was significantly upregulated in 39/102 (38.2%) patients and significantly associated with increased LDH level (P=0.021) and number of Tregs (P=0.017). The overall survival rates of patients with high or low concentrations of sPD-L1 were statistically different (8.5 months [high level] vs 11.6 months [low level], P=0.022). Conclusion: sPD-L1 concentration is elevated in patients with advanced acral or mucosal melanoma, which may play an important role in predicting prognosis.