C-MYC ONCOGENE EXPRESSION IN OCULAR MELANOMAS

We have investigated the expression of c-myc in 24 ocular melanomas by immunohistochemistry, using two monoclonal antibodies raised against a mid-sequence portion of the c-myc product (6E10) and against the C-terminus (9E10). The results were compared with other putative prognostic factors, including tumour size, cell type, proliferation index (determined by flow cytometry), and ploidy, as well as immunohistochemical staining for HMB-45 and S-100 antigens. Staining, often focal, for c-myc was found in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of a proportion of the cells in most tumours studied. Total cell staining for myc protein correlated with proliferative index in diploid tumours; seven out of nine aneuploid and mixed aneuploid/diploid cells showed strong staining in at least one cellular compartment. A positive correlation with myc expression was also found for HMB-45 staining, but not for cell type or staining for S-100. The results support the hypothesis that myc protein is involved in cellular proliferation in uveal melanomas and indicate that immunohistochemistry for myc antigen may be a useful prognostic marker in these tumours.