Современная онкология (Dec 2016)
Molecular genetic features of the head and neck (upper aerodigestive tract) mucosal melanoma
Abstract
Mucosal melanoma is a rare and aggressive neoplasm of melanocytic origin. To date, in literature only few retrospective series and case reports have been reported on mucosal melanoma. Despite melanoma’s common histological origin,molecular biology of upper aerodigestive tract mucosal melanoma has some specific features compared with those of cutaneous melanomas. Taking into concideration the tremendous number of studies of prognostic molecular markers in cancer, only a few such markers have entered clinical practice in mucosal melanoma. The incidence of activating mutations in the BRAF, C-KIT and N-RAS oncogenes in mucosal melanoma is quite different from cutaneous melanoma: upper aerodigestive tract melanoma is characterized by high incidence of C-KIT and N-RAS mutations, BRAF mutations are uncommon. The most frequently studied markers in upper aerodigestive tract mucosal melanoma and prospectives of targeted therapy are reviewed in this article. A better comprehension of the pathogenesis of disease, in particular its molecular aberrations, can provide important insights into targets for future therapies.
