Melanoma Pathology

Melanoma Pathology

Group Leader:
Professor Richard Scolyer

Members:
Professor Stanley McCarthy
Dr Rajmohan Murali
Dr Liquing Zhuang
Ms Chitra de Silva

Research Overview
Reduce the impact of melanoma and skin cancer by
a) improving diagnostic criteria and techniques (which have a direct impact on surgery, radiology and pathology) and
b) providing more accurate prognostic information by correlating pathological and clinical information and to do so in a cost effective manner

2006/2007 Highlights
Performance and reporting of the world’s largest studies validating the accuracy of the sentinel lymph node biopsy technique (including its pathological assessment) including the development of a new technique for validating the identity of sentinel lymph nodes

Publication of studies reporting the usefulness of adjuvant techniques in the diagnosis of melanocytic lesons

Publication of studies reporting on the pathological distinction of melanomas from benign melanocytic lesions that mimic melanomas

Performance and reporting of studies documenting the important prognostic significance of various pathological features

Publications 2006/2007
1. Dray MS, McCarthy SW, Palmer AA, Bonar SF, Stalley P, Marjoniemi V, Miller E, Scolyer RA. Myopericytoma: a unifying term for a spectrum of tumours that show overlapping features with myofibroma. A review of 14 cases. J Clin Pathol  2006; 59: 67-73.

2. Scolyer RA, Thompson JF, McCarthy SW, Strutton GM, Elder DE. Incomplete biopsy of melanocytic lesions can impair the accuracy of pathological diagnosis. Aust J Dermatol 2006; 47: 71-3.

3. Pua VSC, Scolyer RA, Barnetson RStC. Pravastatin-induced pigmentation. Aust J Dermatol 2006; 47: 57-9.

4. Bonar SF, Viglione W, Schatz J, Scolyer RA, McCarthy SW. An unusual variant of intraneural ganglion of the common peroneal nerve. Skeletal Radiol 2006; 35: 165-71.

5. Karim RZ, Wills EJ, McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA. Myxoid adrenocortical carcinoma - an unusual variant. Pathol Int 2006 56: 89-94.

6. Shaw HM, Quinn MJ, Scolyer RA, Thompson JF. Survival in patients with desmoplastic melanoma.  J Clin Oncol 2006 24: E12.

7. Heinzelmann-Schwarz VA, Gardiner-Garden M, Henshall SM, Scurry JP, Scolyer RA, Smith AN, Bali A, Vanden Bergh P, Baron-Hay S, Scott C, Fink D, Hacker NF, Sutherland RL, O’Brien PM. A distinct molecular profile associated with mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer. Brit J Cancer 2006; 94: 904-13.

8. Thompson JF, Scolyer RA, Uren RF. Surgical management of primary cutaneous melanoma: excision margins and the role of sentinel lymph node examination. Surg Oncol Clin N Am 2006; 15: 301-18.

9. Scolyer RA, Thompson JF, Shaw HM, McCarthy SW. The importance of mitotic rate as a prognostic factor for localized cutaneous melanoma. J Cut Pathol 2006; 33: 395-6.

10. Li W, Sanki A, Karim RZ, Thompson JF, Lee CS, Zhuang L, McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA. The role of cell cycle regulatory proteins in the pathogenesis of melanoma. Pathology 2006; 38: 287-301.

11. Ashford RU, McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA, Bonar SF, Karim RZ, Stalley PD. Surgical biopsy with intraoperative frozen section: an accurate and cost effective method for diagnosis of musculoskeletal sarcomas. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2006; 88: 1207-11.

12. Zhuang L, Lee CS, Scolyer RA, McCarthy SW, Zhang XD, Thompson JF, Screaton G, Hersey P. Progression in melanoma is associated with decreased expression of death receptors for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Hum Pathol 2006; 37:1286-94.

13. McLean FM, Bonar SF, Schatz J, McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA, Stalley P. Epithelioid and spindle cell haemangioma of bone. Skeletal Radiol 2007; 36: S1:50-7.

14. Heinzelmann-Schwarz VA, Scurry JP, Scolyer RA, Smith AN, Gardiner-Garden M, Vanden Bergh P, Biankin AV, Baron-Hay S, Scott C, Ward RL, Fink D, Hacker NF, Sutherland RL, O’Brien PM. High galectin 4 and low meprin alpha expression differentiate primary mucinous epithelial ovarian carcinoma from mucinous gastrointestinal cancers. J Clin Pathol 2007; 60: 622-6.

15. Murali R, Doubrovsky A, Watson GF, McKenzie PR, Lee CS, McLeod DJ, Uren RF, Stretch JR, Saw RP,  Thompson JF, Scolyer RA. Diagnosis of metastatic malignant melanoma by fine needle aspiration biopsy: clinicopathologic analysis of 2204 cases. Am J Clin Pathol 2007; 127: 385-97.

16. Li W, Tran N, Lee SC, O'brien CJ, Tse GM, Scolyer RA, Hong A, Milross C, Yu KH, Rose BR. New evidence for geographic variation in the role of human papillomavirus in tonsillar carcinogenesis. Pathology. 2007; 39: 217-22.

17. Tan K-B, Murali R, Thompson JF, Arnold CJ, McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA. Current perspectives on the pathologic diagnosis and reporting of melanocytic tumors. Italian Journal Of Dermatology And Venereology 2007; 142: 83-97

18. Jabour J, Cummings R, Scolyer RA, Hruby G, Thompson JF, Lee S. Merkel cell carcinoma: Assessing the impact of wide local excision, lymph node dissection, and radiotherapy on recurrence and survival in early stage disease. Results from a review of 82 consecutive casesdiagnosed between 1992 and 2004. Ann Surg Oncol 2007; 14: 1943-52.

19. Cooper CL, Sindler P, Varol C, McCarthy SW, Karim RZ, Scolyer RA. Paratesticular rhabdomyoma. Pathology  2007; 39: 367-9..

20. Murali R, McCarthy SW, Thompson JF, Scolyer RA. Melanocytic nevus with focal atypical epithelioid components (clonal nevus) is a combined nevus. J Am Acad Dermatol 2007; 56:889-90.

21. Zhuang L, Lee CS, Scolyer RA, McCarthy SW, Zhang XD, Thompson JF, Sacreaton G, Hersey P. Mcl-1, Bcl-XL and Stat3 expression are associated with progression of melanoma whereas Bcl-2, AP-2 and MITF levels decrease during progression of melanoma. Mod Pathol 2007; 20: 416-26.

22. Scolyer RA, Murali R, Gershenwald, JE, Cochran AJ, Thompson JF. Clinical relevance of melanoma micrometastases in sentinel nodes: too early to tell. Ann Oncol 2007; 18: 806-8.

23. Scolyer RA, Elliott B, Suciu S, Lebecque S, Rimoldi D, Gugerli O, Musat E, Sharma RN, Lienard D, Keilholz U, Testori A, Eggermont A, Mackie R, Robert C, Cook M, Thompson JF, Angevin E, Spatz A; on behalf of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Melanoma Group. Long-Term Protective Effect of Mature DC-LAMP+ Dendritic Cell Accumulation in Sentinel Lymph Nodes Containing Micrometastatic Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2007; 13: 3825-30.

24. Tse GM, Chaiwun B, Lau K-M, Lui PC, Scolyer RA, Lee CS, Karim RZ, Putti TC, Law BK, Tan PH. Endothelin I expression correlates with atypical histologic features in mammary phyllodes tumors: a study of 461 cases.  J Clin Pathol (in press- accepted on 10/11/06).

25. Doubrovsky A, Scolyer RA, Murali R, McKenzie PR, Watson GF, Lee CS, McLeod DJ, McCarthy WH, Uren RF, Stretch JR, Saw RPM, Thompson JF. Diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration biopsy for metastatic melanoma with implications for patient management.  (accepted in Ann Surg Oncol on 6/11/06).

26. Sanki A, Li W, Colman MH, Karim RZ, Thompson JF, Scolyer RA. Reduced expression of p16 and p27 is correlated with tumour progression in melanoma. Pathology (in press- accepted on 14/3/07).

27. Tan KB, Moncrieff M, Thompson JF, McCarthy SW, Shaw HM, Quinn MJ, Li L-XL, Crotty KA, Stretch JR, Scolyer RA. Subungual melanoma:  a study of 124 cases highlighting features of early lesions, potential pitfalls in diagnosis and guidelines for histologic reporting. Am J Surg Pathol (in press- accepted on 17/4/07)

28. Thompson JF, Scolyer RA, Kefford RF, Uren RF. Melanoma Management in 2007. Aust Fam Physician (in press- accepted on 27/4/07)

29. Tan BK, Murali R, Karim RZ, Dutta B, Dutta R, McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA. Merkel cell carcinoma with fibrosarcomatous differentiation. Pathology (in press- accepted on 30/4/07)

30. Murali R, Sharma RN, Thompson JF, Stretch JR, Lee CS, McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA. Sentinel lymph node biopsy in histologically ambiguous melanocytic tumors with Spitzoid features (so-called atypical Spitzoid tumors”). Ann Surg Oncol (in press- accepted  on 5/5/07)

31. Scolyer RA, Thompson JF.. Primary pulmonary melanoma. Amer Surgeon (in press- accepted on 12/6/07)

32. Karim RZ, van de Berg KS, Coleman MH, McCarthy SW, Thompson JF, Scolyer RA. The advantage of using a synoptic pathology report for cutaneous melanoma. Histopathology (in press- accepted on 30/607).