Is A Mole Benign Or Cancerous? New Staining Test Can Provide New Measure

Researchers at Weill Medical College have devised a latest test to help diagnose malignancy in a mole.The test makes use of sAC (soluble adenylyl cyclase-an evolutionary conserved signaling enzyme) expression pattern. A skin biopsy revealing sAC in cells' nucleus is an identification of malignancy while absence of sAC in nucleus simply means the mole is benign.

Senior author Dr. Jonathan Zippin, explains:

"The sAC stain is either positive or negative in the cell's nucleus. Other stains require an interpretation of staining intensity, which means that a diagnosis of melanoma can rest on a pathologist's opinion.

As a clinical dermatologist, this uncertainty is difficult to deal with. No one wants to miss a true diagnosis of melanoma, but telling someone they have melanoma, when they may not, changes his or her life."

The study is published in the Nov. 21 issue of the Archives of Dermatology. Details here