Genomics of acral lentiginous melanoma

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Genomics of acral lentiginous melanoma

• IRAS ID

  241746

• Contact name

  David Adams

• Contact email

  da1@sanger.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Wellcome Sanger Institute

• Duration of Study in the UK

  5 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and despite constituting only 4% of dermatological cancers it is responsible for 75% of the deaths. Melanoma is generally classified into four histopathological subtypes: superficial spreading melanoma (SSM), lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM), nodular melanoma (NM) and acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM). The most common histopathological subtype of melanoma in Mexico is ALM , which is associated with a poor prognosis such that only 52.3% of patients survive more than 5 years after diagnosis.

  The National Cancer Institute of Mexico has maintained since 1980 a collection of melanoma tumour samples, including ALMs. In this project, we propose to analyse samples collected on the 'Mutational Profile of Lentiginous Acral
  Melanoma' study currently running at the National Cancer Institute, Mexico.
  Analysis of the genetic material from these samples will be carried out using sequencing and genotyping in order to address the lack of knowledge about the mutational landscape of ALM tumours, the genomic signatures associated
  with important predictors of survival, and the genetic factors that increase the risk of ALM development it in Mexican patients.

  This study aims to study ALM samples from Mexican patients assessed at the National Cancer Institute of Mexico to define their mutational landscape, to identify mutational signatures associated with important predictors of survival such as ulceration, and to detect genetic factors that elevate the risk of developing ALM. Completion of this study would bring us closer to understanding the mutational landscape of ALM and the genetic risk factors in Mexicans, which will allow problems such as the development of therapeutic strategies targeting specific molecular lesions to be addressed alongside development of prevention strategies and public health campaigns.

• REC name

  East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  18/EE/0076

• Date of REC Opinion

  1 Mar 2018

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion