Elin S Gray, Anna L Reid, Samantha Bowyer, Leslie Calapre, Kelvin Siew, Robert Pearce, Lester Cowell, Markus H Frank, Michael Millward, Mel Ziman
Metastatic melanoma is a highly heterogeneous tumor; thus, methods to analyze tumor-derived cells circulating in blood should address this diversity. Taking this into account, we analyzed, using multiparametric flow cytometry, the co-expression of the melanoma markers melanoma cell adhesion molecule and melanoma-associated chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan and the tumor-initiating markers ATP-binding cassette sub-family B member 5 (ABCB5), CD271, and receptor activator of NF-κβ (RANK) in individual circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from 40 late-stage (III-IV) and 16 early-stage (I-II) melanoma patients...
August 2015: Journal of Investigative Dermatology