Grants Funded
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Research Abstracts
Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.
Spitzoid Nevi Versus Melanoma by Cellular Gp100, Nedd9 and Gab2
Principal Investigator
Matthew McRae MD, FRCSC
Matthew McRae MD, FRCSC
Year
2008
2008
Institution
Yale School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
Funding Mechanism
Basic Research Grant
Basic Research Grant
Focus Area
Other
Other
Abstract
Classic and atypical Spitz nevi are uncommonly occurring melanocytic lesions with an incidence of 7 in 100,000. They most commonly present in children and adolescents but may also occur in adults. The clinical and histological features of melanoma can be similar to both the classic and atypical Spitz nevi. Spitzoid melanoma is the variant of melanoma that shares clinical features with spitz nevi. There is no single discriminating factor between Spitz nevi and melanomas as every trait of Spitz nevi has been described in melanoma. While spitz nevi most commonly occur in children, a population where melanoma is quite rare, it is estimated that 40% of children who do develop melanoma are originally misdiagnosed. As melanoma is on the differential of every Spitz nevus, differentiating between the two is incredibly important. Over treatment of Spitz Nevi can result in significant morbidity while under treatment of melanoma can result in premature death. Our hypothesis is that the subcellular localization of Gp100, Nedd9 and Gab2 will be consistently altered in spitzoid melanoma when compared to benign spitz nevi.
Classic and atypical Spitz nevi are uncommonly occurring melanocytic lesions with an incidence of 7 in 100,000. They most commonly present in children and adolescents but may also occur in adults. The clinical and histological features of melanoma can be similar to both the classic and atypical Spitz nevi. Spitzoid melanoma is the variant of melanoma that shares clinical features with spitz nevi. There is no single discriminating factor between Spitz nevi and melanomas as every trait of Spitz nevi has been described in melanoma. While spitz nevi most commonly occur in children, a population where melanoma is quite rare, it is estimated that 40% of children who do develop melanoma are originally misdiagnosed. As melanoma is on the differential of every Spitz nevus, differentiating between the two is incredibly important. Over treatment of Spitz Nevi can result in significant morbidity while under treatment of melanoma can result in premature death. Our hypothesis is that the subcellular localization of Gp100, Nedd9 and Gab2 will be consistently altered in spitzoid melanoma when compared to benign spitz nevi.