Serum S-100B protein as a prognostic marker in malignant cutaneous melanoma

Purpose: To evaluate whether S-100B protein in serum is an independent prog nostic marker in malignant melanoma. Materials and Methods: S-100B protein in serum was analyzed in 1,007 consec utive patients with histologically verified cutaneous malignant melanoma, A t the time of blood sampling, 876 patients were in clinical stage I, 35 wer e in stage II, and 96 were in stage III. The serum concentrations of 5-1008 protein were measured by a luminescence immunoassay (LIA), Results: The mean serum concentration of S-100B protein was significantly r elated to clinical stage, with the lowest level in stage I and the highest in stage III. In a multivariate analysis, S-100B protein levels in serum sh owed the strongest prognostic impact of the factors analysed with respect t o disease-specific survival in clinical stages II to III, followed by clini cal stage. Serum S-100B protein was not a significant independent prognosti c factor in clinical stage I, where tumor thickness showed the strongest re lation to melanoma specific survival, followed by ulceration and satellites , Conclusion: This investigation contains the largest material of patients so far analyzed with the new LIA assay of S-100B protein in serum and confirm s that S-100B protein in serum is correlated with clinical stage and is an independent prognostic marker in clinical stages II and III. (C) 2001 by Am erican Society of Clinical Oncology.