A study of activation antigens involved in the pathologicalmechanisms and pathways of cutaneous malignant disease withparticular emphasis on cutaneous T cell lymphoma andmalignant melanoma

The investigation of dermatological conditions embraces the concept of a clinicopathological correlation. The studies into cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and malignant melanoma (MM), presented here involved predominantly immunocytochemical procedures and relate to the investigations into AP-1 protein expression in CTCL and melanocyte activation antigens in MM.
Results: Findings indicate that expression of AP-1 proteins differs not only according to type of CTCL but also according to stages of tumour progression. In MM activation antigen expression varies with tumour metastasis.
Consideration of the role of techniques in terms of sensitivity and specificity form a pivitol component in the evaluation of tumour antigen expression.