The role of MET in melanoma and melanocytic lesions

Melanoma is the leading cause of death due to cutaneous malignancy and its incidence is on the rise. Several signaling pathways have been recognized to have an etiopathogenetic role in precursor melanocytic lesions and malignant melanoma development and progression, including receptor tyrosine kinases. Among those, MET/HGF axis is emerging as a critical player not only in the tumor itself but also in the immune microenvironment in which the tumor grows and advance in its development. Moreover, this pathway ’s activation has emerged as a paradigm of tumor resistance to modern targeted therapies and assessment of its expression in patients’ sample may be a valuable biomarker of tumor progression and response to targeted therapy.
Source: American Journal of Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research