ORIGINAL ARTICLE – MELANOMAS Molecular Characterization and Patient Outcome of Melanoma Nodal Metastases and an Unknown Primary Site

Background. Melanoma of unknown primary site (MUP) is not a completely understood entity with nodal metastases as the most common first clinical manifestation. The aim of this multicentric study was to assess frequency and type of oncogenic BRAF/NRAS/KIT mutations in MUP with clin-ically detected nodal metastases in relation to clinicopathologic features and outcome. Materials and Methods. We analyzed series of 103 MUP patients (period: 1992–2010) after therapeutic lymphade-nectomy (LND): 40 axillary, 47 groin, 16 cervical, none treated with BRAF inhibitors. We performed molecular characterization of BRAF/NRAS/KIT mutational status in nodal metastases using direct sequencing of respective coding sequences. Median follow-up time was 53 months