No correlation of tyrosinase mRNA in bone marrow with prognosis of metastatic melanoma

Background: Recent publications suggest that tyrosinase mRNA in blood as we ll as in bone marrow is detectable only in a subgroup of patients with meta static melanoma, Objective: We addressed the question, whether patients wit h metastatic melanoma and with RT-PCR-detectable tyrosinase mRNA in blood o r bone marrow have a different prognosis compared to tyrosinase mRNA-negati ve patients. Methods: 20 melanoma patients with widespread clinical metasta ses were enrolled and the survival time after first diagnosis of visceral m etastases was correlated to tyrosinase mRNA presence in blood and bone marr ow samples. Results: The time of survival of 8 patients with metastatic mel anoma and detectable tyrosinase mRNA in either blood or bone marrow was not different from the prognosis of 12 patients without detectable tyrosinase mRNA in either blood or bone marrow, Conclusion: Although based on a limite d number of patients our results suggest that detection of tyrosinase mRNA in brood or bone marrow samples of melanoma patients with advanced disease seems to have no substantial relevance for survival time and outcome of dis ease. For this purpose, detection of tyrosinase mRNA by RT-PCR is not a val id tumor marker, Nevertheless, tyrosinase positivity in bone marrow in earl ier tumor stages might indicate increased risk for the development of dista nt metastases, This should be addressed in further studies. Copyright (C) 2 000 S. Karger AG, Basel.