MALIGNANT MELANOMA AND SURVIVIN

Abnormalities in the control of apoptosis play an important role in tumorigenesis. We investigated the serum levels of an anti-apoptotic protein, survivin, in 44 patients with malignant melanoma using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There was no significant difference in the serum survivin level between melanoma patients and controls. In node positive patients the serum levels of survivin were unchanged after Interferon-alpha therapy but serum survivin concentrations were significantly higher in the metastatic patients than the controls.

Keywords: Malignant melanoma, survivin, serum