Association of melanoma with intraepithelial neoplasia of the pancreas in three patients

Melanoma and pancreatic cancer are two low frequency types of cancer. In this study, three patients who developed both melanoma and intraepithelial neoplasia of the pancreas were tested for CDKN2A mutations and deletions, and investigated for rare germline copy number variations (CNVs). The three patients were negative for CDKN2A point mutations and intragenic deletions. One of these patients carried two large (> 300 kb) germline CNVs, both genomic duplications affecting coding sequences that are not copy number variable in the population. A second patient exhibited loss of the entire Y chromosome, an event probably coincidental related to his advanced age (79 years-old). Our data pinpoint that rare germline CNVs harboring genes can contribute to the cancer predisposition of melanoma and intraepithelial neoplasia of the pancreas.This work was supported by the National Institute of Science and Technology in Oncogenomics (Grant 08/57887-9) and FAPESP (Grants 2012/21932-6 and 2013/07480-8)

Birth cohort-specific trends of sun-related behaviors among individuals from an international consortium of melanoma-prone families.

Funder: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002322Funder: Radiumhemmets Forskningsfonder; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007232Funder: Swedish Cancer SocietyFunder: Lunds Universitet Paulsson TrustFunder: CIBER de Enfermedades Raras of the Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIFunder: European Regional Development Fund; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100008530Funder: DiagnopticsFunder: CERCA Programme Generalitat de CatalunyaFunder: Esther Koplowitz Center, Barcelona, SpainFunder: Comision Honoraria de Lucha Contra el Cancer, CSIC, Fundacion Manuel Perez, Montevideo, UruguayBACKGROUND: Individuals from melanoma-prone families have similar or reduced sun-protective behaviors compared to the general population. Studies on trends in sun-related behaviors have been temporally and geographically limited. METHODS: Individuals from an international consortium of melanoma-prone families (GenoMEL) were retrospectively asked about sunscreen use, sun exposure (time spent outside), sunburns, and sunbed use at several timepoints over their lifetime. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the association between these outcomes and birth cohort defined by decade spans, after adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: A total of 2407 participants from 547 families across 17 centers were analyzed. Sunscreen use increased across subsequent birth cohorts, and although the likelihood of sunburns increased until the 1950s birth cohort, it decreased thereafter. Average sun exposure did not change across the birth cohorts, and the likelihood of sunbed use increased in more recent birth cohorts. We generally did not find any differences in sun-related behavior when comparing melanoma cases to non-cases. Melanoma cases had increased sunscreen use, decreased sun exposure, and decreased odds of sunburn and sunbed use after melanoma diagnosis compared to before diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Although sunscreen use has increased and the likelihood of sunburns has decreased in more recent birth cohorts, individuals in melanoma-prone families have not reduced their overall sun exposure and had an increased likelihood of sunbed use in more recent birth cohorts. These observations demonstrate partial improvements in melanoma prevention and suggest that additional intervention strategies may be needed to achieve optimal sun-protective behavior in melanoma-prone families

Germline CDKN2A mutations in Brazilian patients of hereditary cutaneous melanoma

Approximately 10 % of all cutaneous melanoma cases occur in a familial context. the major susceptibility gene for familial melanoma is CDKN2A. in Latin America, genetic studies investigating melanoma predisposition are scarce. the aim of this work was to investigate germline CDKN2A point mutations and genomic rearrangements in a cohort of 59 Brazilian melanoma-prone patients. Screening of CDKN2A alterations was performed by sequencing and multiplex ligation probe amplification. Germline CDKN2A mutations affecting p16(INK4a) were detected in 8 unrelated probands (13.6 %), including 7 familial cases and one patient with multiple melanomas; 4 out of 8 mutation carriers met the criteria for familial melanoma and had multiple primary lesions. Although this study adds to the literature on melanoma susceptibility in Latin America, it is limited by the small size of the cohort. Our findings suggest that stringent inclusion criteria led to a substantially increased rate of CDKN2A mutation detection. This consideration should be taken into account when referring patients for genetic screening in a setting of limited budget, such as in developing countries.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology in OncogenomicsAC Camargo Canc Ctr, Dept Skin Canc, São Paulo, BrazilAC Camargo Canc Ctr, Int Res Ctr, Lab Genom & Mol Biol, São Paulo, BrazilNatl Inst Sci & Technol Oncogen, São Paulo, BrazilAC Camargo Canc Ctr, Dept Oncogenet, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pathol, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pathol, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2007/04313-2Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology in Oncogenomics: FAPESP 2008/57887-9Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology in Oncogenomics: CNPq 573589/08-9Web of Scienc

Role of Annexin A1 Secreted by Neutrophils in Melanoma Metastasis

Annexin A1 (AnxA1) is highly secreted by neutrophils and binds to formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) to trigger anti-inflammatory effects and efferocytosis. AnxA1 is also expressed in the tumor microenvironment, being mainly attributed to cancer cells. As recruited neutrophils are player cells at the tumor sites, the role of neutrophil-derived AnxA1 in lung melanoma metastasis was investigated here. Melanoma cells and neutrophils expressing AnxA1 were detected in biopsies from primary melanoma patients, which also presented higher levels of serum AnxA1 and augmented neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the blood. Lung melanoma metastatic mice (C57BL/6; i.v. injected B16F10 cells) showed neutrophilia, elevated AnxA1 serum levels, and higher labeling for AnxA1 in neutrophils than in tumor cells at the lungs with metastasis. Peritoneal neutrophils collected from naïve mice were co-cultured with B16F10 cells or employed to obtain neutrophil-conditioned medium (NCM; 18 h incubation). B16F10 cells co-cultured with neutrophils or with NCM presented higher invasion, which was abolished if B16F10 cells were previously incubated with FPR antagonists or co-cultured with AnxA1 knockout (AnxA1-/-) neutrophils. The depletion of peripheral neutrophils during lung melanoma metastasis development (anti-Gr1; i.p. every 48 h for 21 days) reduced the number of metastases and AnxA1 serum levels in mice. Our findings show that AnxA1 secreted by neutrophils favors melanoma metastasis evolution via FPR pathways, addressing AnxA1 as a potential biomarker for the detection or progression of melanoma

Genome-wide DNA methylation profile of leukocytes from melanoma patients with and without CDKN2A mutations

Melanoma is a highly aggressive cancer, accounting for up to 75% of skin cancer deaths. A small proportion of melanoma cases can be ascribed to the presence of highly penetrant germline mutations, and approximately 40% of hereditary melanoma cases are caused by CDKN2A mutations. The current study sought to investigate whether the presence of germline CDKN2A mutations or the occurrence of cutaneous melanoma would result in constitutive genome-wide DNA methylation changes. The leukocyte methylomes of two groups of melanoma patients (those with germline CDKN2A mutations and those without CDKN2A mutations) were analyzed together with the profile of a control group of individuals. A pattern of DNA hypomethylation was detected in the CDKN2A-negative patients relative to both CDKN2A-mutated patients and controls. Additionally, we delineated a panel of 90 CpG sites that were differentially methylated in CDKN2A-mutated patients relative to controls. Although we identified a possible constitutive epigenetic signature in CDKN2A-mutated patients, the occurrence of reported SNPs at the detected CpG sites complicated the data interpretation. Thus, further studies are required to elucidate the impact of these findings on melanoma predisposition and their possible effect on the penetrance of CDKN2A mutations

Birth cohort- specific trends of sun-related behaviors among individuals from an International consortium of melanoma-prone families.

Background: Individuals from melanoma-prone families have similar or reduced sun-protective behaviors compared to the general population. Studies on trends in sun-related behaviors have been temporally and geographically limited. Methods: Individuals from an international consortium of melanoma-prone families (GenoMEL) were retrospectively asked about sunscreen use, sun exposure (time spent outside), sunburns, and sunbed use at several timepoints over their lifetime. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the association between these outcomes and birth cohort defined by decade spans, after adjusting for covariates. Results: A total of 2407 participants from 547 families across 17 centers were analyzed. Sunscreen use increased across subsequent birth cohorts, and although the likelihood of sunburns increased until the 1950s birth cohort, it decreased thereafter. Average sun exposure did not change across the birth cohorts, and the likelihood of sunbed use increased in more recent birth cohorts. We generally did not find any differences in sun-related behavior when comparing melanoma cases to non-cases. Melanoma cases had increased sunscreen use, decreased sun exposure, and decreased odds of sunburn and sunbed use after melanoma diagnosis compared to before diagnosis. Conclusions: Although sunscreen use has increased and the likelihood of sunburns has decreased in more recent birth cohorts, individuals in melanoma-prone families have not reduced their overall sun exposure and had an increased likelihood of sunbed use in more recent birth cohorts. These observations demonstrate partial improvements in melanoma prevention and suggest that additional intervention strategies may be needed to achieve optimal sun-protective behavior in melanoma-prone families