Many serum biomarkers have been evaluated in melanoma but their clinical significance remains a matter of debate. In this paper,\r\na review of the serum biomarkers for melanoma will be detailed and will be discussed from the point of view of their practical\r\nusefulness. The expression of biomarkers can be detected intracellularly or on the cell membrane of melanoma cells or noncancer\r\ncells in association with the melanoma. Some of these molecules can then be released extracellularly and be found in body fluids\r\nsuch as the serum. Actually, with the emergence of new targeted therapies for cancer and the increasing range of therapeutic\r\noptions, the challenge for the clinician is to assess the unique risk/response ratio and the prognosis for each patient. New serum\r\nbiomarkers of melanoma progression and metastatic disease are still awaited in order to provide efficient rationale for followup\r\nand treatment choices. LDH as well as S100B levels have been correlated with poor prognosis in AJCC stage III/IV melanoma\r\npatients. However, the poor sensitivity and specificity of those markers and many other molecules are serious limitations for their\r\nroutine use in both early (AJCC stage I and II) and advanced stages of melanoma (AJCC stage III and IV). Microarray technology\r\nand proteomic research will surely provide new candidates in the near future allowing more accurate definition of the individual\r\nprognosis and prediction of the therapeutic outcome and select patients for early adjuvant strategies.
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