Metallothionein-overexpression as a prognostic factor for progression and survival in melanoma. A prospective study on 520 patients

Abstract

MT overexpression in primary melanoma is associated with an increased risk for disease progression. This marker is independent from Breslow thickness and helps to identify those thin melanomas (< 1.5 mm) that are at increased risk of progression. Moreover, the immunohistochemical staining of paraffin material is a cheap, easy and widely available technique to gain these results.