Overexpression of phosphorylated-STAT3 and phosphorylated-Akt correlated with the invasion and metastasis of malignant melanoma

Objective: To evaluate expression of p-STAT3 and p-Akt in malignant melanoma and their relationship with invasion and metastasis of the tumor. Methods: The expression of p-STAT3 and p-Akt in 23 cases of melanocytic nevi and 41 cases of malignant melanoma using immunohistochemistry was examined, and the relationship between the expression of p-STAT3 and p-Akt in malignant melanomas and invasion and metastasis of the tumors was evaluated. Results: The expression of p-STAT3 was seen in two of 23 cases of melanocytic nevi and in 29 of 41 cases of malignant melanoma, while p-Akt was expressed in 3 of 23 cases of melanocytic nevi and 26 of 41 cases of malignant melanoma, indicating that the expression of p-STAT3 and p-Akt in melanoma was significantly higher than that in benign nevi. There was significant correlation between the expression of p-STAT3 and p-Akt in melanoma. Furthermore, the expression rates of p-STAT3 and p-Akt were significantly higher in invasive or metastatic melanomas than those in non-invasive or non-metastatic melanomas. Conclusion: p-STAT3 and p-Akt may play important roles in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma, and their expression may correlate with the invasion and metastasis of tumors.