S-100 AND NSE AS SERUM MARKERS IN MELANOMA

S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) have recently been pro posed as serum markers for melanoma. In this study NSE and S-100 serum levels were assayed by commercial IRMA methods in 53 patients with me lanoma. The overall prevalence of abnormal marker levels was similar f or NSE (26%) and S-100 (30%). The 24 patients in stages I and II had u niformly normal S-100 levels, but abnormal NSE levels were observed in 3 out of the 12 patients in stage II (33%) and in 1 out of 12 in stag e I. NSE appears thus to be the marker of choice in the early stages, where its increase points to disease progression. In patients in stage s III and IV the prevalence of abnormal values was 34% for NSE and 55% for S-100 (p = < 0.05). In the latter group diagnostic sensitivity in creased to 62% if isolated elevation of each marker was considered. In patients with advanced stage disease, both NSE and S-100 should be as sayed.