"Molecular pathogenesis of cutaneous melanoma"

Abstract

Melanoma, or malignant melanoma, is a malignant neoplasm originating from melanocytes of the skin. It accounts for only a small percentage of all cases of skin cancer, but it has the largest proportion of deaths and its incidence is constantly increasing. The alarming increase in the incidence of melanoma has intensified the research efforts aimed at clarifying the genetic, environmental, behavioral and phenotypic factors contributing to the pathogenesis of this disease. The introduction of new genetic techniques has led to a much better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of melanoma. Melanoma is a notable example of the multifactorial development of cancer, which is dependent on mutations in the MAPK pathway, with multiple additional genetic alterations in other pathways leading to uncontrolled cell growth and avoidance apoptosis. Recently, the involvement of epigenetic agents in the pathogenesis of melanoma has been discovered, but with no complete clarification of the mechanisms. Genetic progress has made it possible to identify many relevant pathogenic events and has already led to the successful introduction of targeted therapies that represent the first effective therapeutic agents in patients with metastatic melanoma.

This paper is a review of the international literature on the molecular mechanisms that lead to the creation and development of skin melanoma. The role of ultraviolet radiation, the genetic factors that affect it, and the role of epigenetic mechanisms that are involved in melanoma are mentioned. It also analyzes the stages of tumor progression and the basic pathways that are deregulated therein. Finally, there are presented the prevention methods, the clinical biomarkers used and the therapies that exist or are developed based.

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