XXXX expression in @entity320 predicts occult lymph node @entity3 .

@entity1 @entity5 @entity8652 @entity2393 @entity3 @entity320
BACKGROUND: Elective lymph node dissection for @entity320 is still controversial. Experimental studies suggest that differential expression, activation, or both of @entity8652 integrins facilitate @entity320 @entity3 . However, the clinical significance of @entity2393 expression in @entity1 @entity320 is unclear. METHODS: We examined primary cutaneous @entity320 from 76 @entity1 undergoing elective lymph mode dissection. We quantified the percentage of @entity5 area stained by @entity2393 antibody with an image analyzer. RESULTS: @entity2393 was expressed in all 23 @entity5 from @entity1 with pathologically positive lymph nodes (LNs) but in only 14 (26%) of 53 cases with pathologically negative nodes (p < 0.001). No @entity1 with @entity2393 -negative @entity5 had LN involvement, whereas 23 (62%) of 37 @entity1 with @entity2393 -positive @entity5 had LN @entity3 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 21 (91%) of 23 cases with LN @entity3 but only 4 (8%) of 53 cases without had @entity2393 staining of 10% or more of @entity5 area (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to show a correlation between expression of a molecular marker in the primary @entity320 and likelihood of regional LN @entity3 . @entity8652 immunostaining of 10% or more of @entity5 area reliably predicts @entity1 most likely to harbor occult LN @entity3 and likely to benefit from ELND.
