U.S. researchers reported on Thursday that they have found a new protein produced excessively in malignant melanoma.
The protein, IMP-3, is not over-expressed in harmless moles but is increased in the most dangerous types of skin cancer, and in a subset of lesions that can be difficult to predict called thin melanomas.
The finding offers a potential target for treatment -- but perhaps most importantly might give doctors a new, objective way to distinguish melanoma from some benign moles that look like melanoma but are not cancerous, said the research team at University of Rochester, who published their findings in the journal Modern Pathology.
"We are very excited about our finding that IMP-3 is an important progression marker in malignant melanoma," said first author Jennifer Pryor. "Although we have learned a lot about melanoma in recent years, it has unique biologic properties that sometimes make it difficult to diagnose and to plan for the proper treatment. This protein may have a key role in helping us to understand and distinguish between various types of melanocytic lesions."
IMP-3 is involved in cell proliferation and appears to play a role in tumor formation in a number of cancers. In previous studies expression of the IMP-3 protein has been linked to pancreas, kidney, ovary and lung cancers, but this is the first published study to demonstrate a connection to melanoma, Pryor said.
Additional research is needed to compare IMP-3 expression with long-term survival data from thin melanoma patients, to find out if patients whose tumors express IMP-3 might benefit from more careful monitoring and aggressive treatment, the study noted.
Source: Xinhua
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