Dr. Rapisuwon on Biologic Differences Between Mucosal and Cutaneous Melanoma

Suthee Rapisuwon, MD, medical oncologist, MedStar Health, discusses the biologic differences between mucosal and cutaneous melanoma.

The initiation events differ between mucosal melanoma and cutaneous melanoma, says Rapisuwon. Unlike in cutaneous melanoma, BRAF mutations are not often the phylogenetic event in mucosal melanoma, Rapisuwon explains.

However, patients with mucosal melanoma often harbor neurofibromatosis type 1 mutations, genetic aberrations in chromosomes 5 through 12, and KIT mutations, says Rapisuwon. Moreover, these abnormalities often serve as organizing events for tumorigenesis, concludes Rapisuwon.