Immunohistochemical expression and prognostic role of CD10, CD271 and Nestin in primary and recurrent cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND: CD10, CD271 and Nestin, which are proteins associated with tumor-initiating properties and/or progression potential, have not been specifically studied on malignant melanoma (MM) with cutaneous recurrences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the expression of of CD10, CD271, and Nestin in 27 tumor samples from 16 patients. These tumor samples corresponded to 6 primary melanomas which developed 11 ITM and 10 primary melanomas without recurrences at 10-year follow-up from specimens obtained from surgical excisions of patients referred to the Unit of Dermatology, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, between 2006 and 2016. RESULTS: We demonstrated a higher expression of CD271 and Nestin in primary tumors which recurred than control population, Nestin was expressed with significantly higher percentages in primary tumors than recurrences, and CD10 expression was statistically significant correlated with disease-free survival: cases with a lower score recurred lately than cases with higher scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results suggest that CD271 and Nestin can be considered early biomarkers for the development of ITM, Nestin can be useful in differentiating primary MM from cutaneous recurrences, and CD10 is associated with a rapid disease progression and may be considered a potential prognostic marker.