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Prognostic impact of the putative cancer stem cell markers ABCG2, CD133, ALDH1A1 and CD44V7/8 in metastatic melanoma

Despite recent therapeutic advances, a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma still foreshadows a grim prognosis for the majority of patients. One of the factors believed to be associated with the failure of current conventional cancer therapies are the so-called Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs). CSCs share common features with corresponding tissue stem cells, such as self-renewal capacity and the ability to give rise to progeny with the potential to proliferate and differentiate. Therapeutically targeting CSCs may thus eliminate the root cause of the cancer, however this would require the accurate identification of markers distinguishing CSCs from normal cells. The expression of candidate CSC markers is associated with a poor prognosis in a number of cancer types, but their clinical significance remains unclear and to the best of knowledge there have been no clinical studies in melanoma. Here, we aimed to determine the clinical significance of four molecules identifying putative CSCs, namely CD133, ABCG2, ALDH1A1 and CD44v7/8. 
 
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