Expression of phosphorylated-STAT3 and osteopontin and their correlation in melanoma

The expressions of p-STAT3 and osteopontin in 22 cases of normal nevi and 43 cases of malignant melanoma were immunohistochemically detected, and the correlation between p-STAT3 and osteopontin in malignant melanoma and the correlations of p-STAT3 (or osteopontin) with invasion, metastasis and thickness of malignant melanoma were examined. The results showed p-STAT3 was expressed in 2 of 22 cases of normal nevi and 30 of 43 cases of malignant melanoma, while osteopontin was expressed in 3 cases of normal nevi and 29 cases of malignant melanoma. The expressions of p-STAT3 and osteopontin in melanoma were significantly higher than that in benign nevi. There existed significant correlations between the expression of p-STAT3 and that of osteopontin in melanoma. Furthermore, the expression rates of p-STAT3 were significantly higher in invasive or metastatic melanomas than that their non-invasive or non-metastatic counterparts, and the expression rates of osteopontin were significantly higher in invasive melanomas than that in non-invasive ones. It is concluded that p-STAT3 and osteopontin may play important roles in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma.