The Role for ink4a in Melanoma Pathogenesis

摘要: Malignant melanoma is a disease with high metastatic potential and poor clinical response to current therapeutic measures1. It represents significant health crisis given its rate of increase in incidence; by year 2000, one 76 Americans will develop melanoma2. Although the molecular pathogenesis this poorly understood, predisposition appears have strong genetic component. Tumor surveys kindred analyses uncovered several chromosomal “hot spots” including frequent loss 6q 10q, non-random karyotypic alterations chromosome 1, 9p21-associated deletion/mutation1. The latter be most compelling etiological link that cytogenetic, linkage documented incidence 9p21 germline somatic mutations both familial sporadic melanomas3–6.