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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1975

Tyrosinase activity in three types of the malignant melanoma: superficial spreading melanoma, lentigo maligna melanoma and nodular melanoma.

Quantitative differences in the tyrosinase activity are found at the three types of malignant melanoma of Clark and Mihm by the combined 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine-premelanin-reaction. Only a very small activity is present in the junction nevus. In the superficial spreading melanoma the tyrosinase activity is clear, but limited. The lentigo maligna melanoma shows an increased pigmentation. The topmost activity after incubation however is present in the nodular melanoma.

Catechol Oxidase↗
PubMed1979

Reactivity of monoclonal anti-melanoma antibodies with melanoma cells freshly isolated from primary and metastatic melanoma.

Human melanoma cells, freshly obtained from nine primary and metastatic melanoma cases, were tested for binding of monoclonal anti-melanoma antibodies produced in vitro by hybridoma clones. Monoclonal anti-melanoma antibodies bind to melanoma cells but do not react with nonmalignant cells obtained from the same patients or with cells obtained from giant hairy nevus. These results confirm the existence of tumor-specific antigens. Binding of monoclonal antibodies to melanoma cells of several origins, primary or metastatic, from different patients suggests the existence of tumor antigens shared by human melanoma cells. The binding pattern of different antibodies to various cells also predicts the existence of more than one tumor-specific antigenic determinant on melanoma cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Epidermotropically metastatic malignant melanoma. Differentiating malignant melanoma metastatic to the epidermis from malignant melanoma primary in the epidermis.

In four instances, metastases to epidermis from primary cutaneous malignant melanomas at different sites showed histological features similar to those of cutaneous malignant melanoma primary in the epidermis. In these metastases, atypical melanocytes were present within the epidermis and in the upper part of the dermis much as in primary cutaneous malignant melanoma. Therefore, the presence of atypical melanocytes within the epidermis is not in itself an absolute criterion of malignant melanoma primary in skin. Nor does that finding absolutely deny malignant melanoma metastastic to the skin. Features that may enable histologic differentiation of epidermotropically metastatic malignant melanoma from primary cutaneous malignant melanoma are emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

The "Knapp-Ronne" type of malignant melanoma of the choroid. A haemangioma-like melanoma with a typical clinical picture. So-called "preretinal malignant choroidal melanoma".

Five cases of a rare type of malignant melanoma of the choroid with a typical clinical and histopathological picture are reported. This tumour is characterized by it location near the optic disk,its early growth through the retina, its structure with bloodless and blood-filled cavernous spaces, and its manifestation by a massive haemorrhage into the vitreous. "Historical" cases are mentioned, showing that this rare tumour, occurring in about 1:250 of malignant melanomas of the choroid, has a Scandinavian tradition. The clinical and histopathological details are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

A retrospective histological study of 669 cases of primary cutaneous malignant melanoma in clinical stage I. The consequences of a reclassification of the original group of lentigo maligna melanomas.

A selected series of primary malignant melanoma of the skin, clinical stage I, was originally classified according to Clark's system. The consistency of this classification was tested by two Brisbane pathologists who indicated that we had misinterpreted some cases of superficial spreading malignant melanoma as lentigo maligna melanoma. We have therefore reclassified the original group of 86 lentigo maligna melanomas. This resulted in a total series of 37 (5.5%) lentigo maligna melanomas, 301 (45%) superficial spreading malignant melanomas, 194 (29%) nodular malignant melanomas (unchanged) and 137 (20.5%) unclassifiable malignant melanomas. The diagnosis of lentigo maligna melanoma was not made unless the epidermis was atrophic and dermal solar elastosis was present. The new group of lentigo maligna melanomas is dominated by cases on the head among patients over 50 years of age (especially women). This is in better agreement with other studies than our previous findings. The relationship with tumour cell type, pigmentation, mitotic count, atypia, transsectional profile, level of invasion, ulceration, vascular invasion, lymphocyte infiltration and prognosis shown by the new groups of lentigo maligna melanoma and superficial spreading malignant melanoma indicates that the cases by which the diagnosis has been changed are relatively benign. Our previous conclusions are still valid. The lentigo maligna melanoma is still the most benign type and nodular malignant melanoma still the most malignant type of melanoma. The superficial spreading malignant melanoma still represents an intermediate tumour type, although it has deviated in the benign direction.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Blocking factors against melanoma leucocyte-dependent antibody: relationship to disease activity in melanoma patients.

Previous studies have shown that many melanoma patients have cytotoxic leucocyte-dependent antibody (LDA) which is inhibited by factors in their sera. These factors were shown to be small molecular weight glycoproteins which could also be identified in the supernatants of melanoma cultures, and which were therefore most likely to be melanoma cell surface antigens. The present studies have shown that these blocking factors against melanoma LDA can be detected in patients with primary melanoma, and that the levels of this activity show an inverse correlation with the levels of LDA in the sera of melanoma patients. The appearance of melanoma LDA after surgery for localized melanoma was shown in approximately a third of the patients, and this pattern was shown to result from the disappearance of the LDA blocking activity after surgical removal of the melanoma. Assays were designed specifically to measure the melanoma LDA blocking factors by plasmapheresis. It is not yet known whether the melanoma LDA blocking activity has correlation with tumour growth in melanoma patients. The potential value of measuring this activity to assess response to therapy was shown by studies designed to remove the blocking factors by plasmapheresis. It is not yet known whether the melanoma LDA blocking activity has biological significance in regard to tumour growth, but these studies appear to indicate that measurement of these factors in the sera of melanoma patients may provide a useful in vitro monitor of tumour growth in melanoma patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Relationship of cell-mediated cytotoxicity against melanoma cells to prognosis in melanoma patients.

The cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) of blood mononuclear cells against cultured human melanoma cells was measured in patients after surgical removal of localized melanoma, at a time when they were considered on clinical grounds to be free of melanoma. It was found that the distribution of CMC values against melanoma cells in melanoma patients was different from that in control subjects, and several sub-populations of melanoma patients were evident on the basis of these measurements. No difference in distribution of CMC values was found against non-melanoma cells, which suggested the changes were specific for melanoma. The proportion of patients with recurrence of melanoma was compared between the patient groups with low, normal or high CMC values against cultured melanoma cells after surgery. Analysis for periods extending to 2 years showed that patients with low CMC values after surgery had a significantly higher incidence of recurrence from melanoma than patients with normal or high CMC values. These results suggest there may be a sub-group of melanoma patients who have intrinsically low CMC against melanoma cells, and that this may be an important predisposing factor in the development of recurrent melanoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Antigens on melanoma cells detected by leukocyte dependent antibody assays of human melanoma antisera.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxic assays have been used to examine antigens on human melanoma cells obtained either directly from patients or from long-term melanoma cell lines. A panel of melanoma antisera was selected from human subjects which could be shown not to have significant reactivity to histocompatibility antigens. With these antisera extensive cross-reactions between melanoma cells were found. However, the cross-reactivity was incomplete and the pattern of reactivity was different for each antiserum tested. These results were not consistent with a common melanoma antigen on human melanoma cells but rather indicated heterogeneity of melanoma antigens and multiple antibody specificities in the sera tested. This appeared to be confirmed by extensive cross-absorption studies which indicated limited cross-reactivity of antigens on melanoma cells from either long-term or short-term cultures. Several changes in the antigenic profile of melanoma cells in vitro from both long-term and short-term cultures were documented which resulted from contamination of the melanoma cell lines with non-melanoma cells and fibroblasts. Melanoma antisera may therefore be useful to mintor changes in long-term cultures which would otherwise give spurious results in in vitro tests. These results appear to have considerable significance for understanding tumour/host relationships and for the establishment of rational immunotherapeutic procedures and diagnostic tests in melanoma.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1975

Analysis of soluble melanoma cell membrane antigens in metastatic cells of various organs and further studies of antigens present in primary melanoma.

In malignant melanoma, using Sephadex G-200 chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), it has been possible to separate two types of skin reactive antigens. The first, found in Sephadex fraction II and PAGE region a appears specific for melanoma. Allogeneic extracts have produced positive reactions in many patients with skin or ocular melanoma, and have given negative reactions in patients with other types of cancer or in patients with ocular lesions simulating melanoma. The second group of antigens, in Sephadex fraction III and PAGE region b were less specific. These antigens produced positive skin reactions in some patients with breast cancer, as well as in patients with melanoma. Reactivity to PAGE region a appeared to be confined to one protein band, but three different bands in region b gave positive reactions. A study was made of the presence or absence of similar antigens in metastatic deposits of malignant melanoma. Metastatic lesions in the following tissues were analyzed: liver, lung, adrenal, skin, and colon. These were compared with pooled primary skin melanomas by skin testing in the same patients. The tumor-associated melanoma antigen, found in Sephadex fraction II and PAGE region a appeared to be strongest in adrenal, lung, and liver metastases. It was found that the protein yield in this region was not indicative of the strength of the antigen. Therefore, a careful, detailed analysis of the protein bands present in PAGE regions a and b from primary skin melanoma was conducted. Only one band in PAGE region a was found to be responsible for positive skin reactivity. This band was found to be a glycolipoprotein. Further studies were also conducted in order to determine whether or not some of the antigens present might be fetal antigens. Some of the protein bands present in Sephadex fraction III and PAGE region b of melanoma appeared to be similar to some of the PAGE region b proteins present in fetal skin cells. Two bands from fetal skin also had the same location on PAGE as two bands from ductal breast cancer, although the relationship to melanoma region b antigens was not exact. These fetal proteins, which seemed to be present both in ductal breast cancer cell membranes and in melanoma cell membranes, might account for the positive skin reactivity seen in this region, and also for the cross reactivity of skin tests with this antigen.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1977

Blocking factors against leucocyte-dependent melanoma antibody in the sera of melanoma patients.

Previous studies, using plasmapheresis to remove blocking factors of cell-mediated cytotoxicity to melanoma cells from the circulation of melanoma patients, suggested that leucocyte-dependent antibody to melanoma cells may also be blocked by factors in their sera. The present study confirms these findings, by showing that most patients with disseminated melanoma had melanoma LDA activity in the IgG fraction when this was separated from their sera. This also applied to a high percentage of patients with primary melanoma. Evidence that the blocking factors may be immune complexes was shown by experiments in which LDA activity to melanoma cells was revealed after acidification of melanoma sera to dissociate immune complexes, followed by ultrafiltration through membranes retaining molecules of size greater than 100,000 daltons. Blocking of LDA activity in the retentate recurred when the retentate was recombined with the filtrate. Further studies indicated that the blocking activity showed affinity for the target cell and not the effector cell. Preliminary analysis of the specificity of the blocking suggests that this was similar to that of melanoma antisera. These results appear to show that blocking of LDA activity to melanoma cells is common in melanoma patients and that the assay system may provide a quantitative method for their analysis that may yield information of biological importance in the management of melanoma patients.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1979

Immune response to melanoma extracts in three melanoma-prone families.

Immune reactivity to melanoma extracts was measured by the leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) test in 40 members of 3 melanoma-prone families. The melanoma patients had a wide range of responsiveness to the extract, the highest responder being a 10-year survivor. As a group, family members (including spouses) without disease had significantly elevated LAI responses compared to those of unrelated controls (P less than 0.01). Within the families, members with close exposure to melanoma patients for 10 years or more had a significantly higher response to melanoma antigen than did members with 0-5 years of close exposure (P less than 0.05). Responses of spouses and members at high risk of developing melanoma (B-K mole syndrome) also correlated with length of exposure to patients, which suggests that the elevated LAI response was not genetically determined. The high frequency of positive responses to melanoma antigens in these families, particularly in spouses, suggests the presence of transmissible melanoma-associated material capable of immunizing persons in contact with melanoma patients.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1975

Cell-mediated immunity to melanoma-associated antigens in patients with ocular malignant melanoma.

We tested 11 patients with choroidal melanomas and 32 control subjects for cell-mediated immunity to melanoma-associated antigens by an in vitro leukocyte migration inhibition assay. Five of seven patients with choroidal melanomas, who received two melanoma extracts used in this series of experiments, had significant leukocyte migration inhibition as compared with none of 17 normal subjects. Four of five melanoma patients who received a third melanoma extract had significant leukocyte migration inhibition as did three of four normal controls, indicating that the extract showed nonspecific inhibition. These data agreed with the concept that patients with choroidal melanomas have cell-mediated immunity to common melanoma-associated antigens.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1979

Antibody binding to membrane of cultured melanoma cells by sera of melanoma patients.

One hundred and nine sera from 75 patients with malignant melanoma and 69 sera from as many healthy donors were assayed by isotopic antiglobulin technique (IAT) on 2 melanoma cell lines. The same picture of reactivity was observed with patients' and healthy donors' sera, and in both groups 35% of the cases were high responders on 1 line and 21% on the other one. The specificity of the reactions was analyzed by absorption experiments using 12 melanoma sera selected for their high binding activity. Pools of human erythrocytes or leukocytes did not remove, except in 1 case respectively, the activity of the sera, suggesting that it was not directed against alloantigens. Quantitative absorption experiments were done with the 2 melanoma lines and with 1 colon carcinoma line. The results, evaluated on the basis of absorption capacity per cell, indicate that the 2 melanoma lines had a similar amount of shared antigens, whereas the colon line was also effective in absorbing out the serum activity, but less frequently and less efficiently. Further experiments performed to analyze the influence of culturing the target cells in presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS), showed that the activity of sera was removed, at various degrees for different sera, by absorption with free FBS, with FBS coupled to Sepharose 4B, and with normal leukocytes cultured overnight with 10% FBS. The same positive melanoma sera became negative when assayed on the same melanoma line cultured in gamma-globulin-depleted human AB serum. In conclusion, in our experimental conditions, the activity of melanoma sera seems mostly directed against components of FBS absorbed on cell membrane during culturing.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1976

Membrane associated antigens of human malignant melanoma. II. Leucocyte migration studies with formalin fixed human melanoma cells.

The leucocyte migration test from caillary tubes was examined for its usefulness as an assay for cell-mediated immunity in melanoma patients. Formalin fixed melanoma cells either obtained from established cell lines or freshly excised tumors were used as antigen source. From a group of 33 melanoma patients 14 reacted positively (42%) when fixed cultured cells were used, whereas, no positive reactions were found in a group of 14 control donors. However, a considerable proportion of patients with chronic inflammatory processes of the skin reacted positively (4/17 = 24%). A smaller proportion of positive reactions were found in melanoma patients when fixed melanoma cells from excised tumors were used (1/16 = 6%). The positive results in the group with chronic inflammatory processes may be explained as reactions against melanoma associated, but not melanoma-specific, antigens. Three possible reasons are discussed for the low frequency of positive reactions with cells from excised tumors: 1. the cells used in this study display only a few of the antigenic determinants typical for malignant melanoma, 2. antigen expression is quantitatively lower. 3. the surface antigens are covered by blocking factors.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1979

A multifactorial analysis of melanoma. II. Prognostic factors in patients with stage I (localized) melanoma.

Stage I melanoma encompasses an extraordinary diversity of biologic behavior. In such a setting where numerous parameters appear to influence survival, a multifactorial analysis using Cox's regression model is a valuable statistical model. Using a computerized data base of 394 clinical stage I melanoma patients treated at this institution during the past 20 years, a multifactorial analysis was used to compare the relative prognostic strength of 11 parameters. Two pathological factors (tumor thickness and ulceration) and two clinial factors (initial surgical treatment and anatomic location) were identified as the dominant prognostic variables. Other factors examined simultaneously that did not provide additional predictive influence on survival included the level of invasion, pigmentation, growth pattern, lymphocyte infiltration, pathological state, sex, and age. Melanoma thickness was the most important factor for predicting survival in patients with stage I melanoma (P less than 10(-8). This parameter is easy to measure and provides a quantitative estimate of clinically occult regional and distant metastases. Contrary to other reports using single factor analysis, the type of initial surgical treatment, in fact, did influence survival after other variables were taken into consideration. Thus the multifactorial analysis supports the observation that patients with intermediate thickness melanoma thickness of 1.5 to 3.99 mm had a 78% 8-year survival rate with wide excision of the melanoma and elective node dissection, while none survived more than 8 years if a melanoma of the same thickness was only widely excised. Multifactorial analysis is a useful and important statistical method when comparing treatment alternatives and prognostic factors in patients with melanoma.

Adult↗