Identification of Biomarkers in an Oral Malignant Melanoma Case with Potential for Therapeutic Intervention

A 32-year old female patient presented with the tumor of the oral cavity at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, India. Clinical examination and histopathological analyses confirmed the neoplasm as malignant melanoma. This rare melanoma of the buccal mucosa expressed carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as well as contained cells that expressed elevated levels of the c-myc oncogene product as identified by immunohistochemistry of the tumor biopsy. Presence of these tumor makers in the rare case of malignant melanoma with poor prognosis should allow exploration of novel targeted therapy against CEA and c-Myc.