ACTIVATED WNT-BETA-CATENIN SIGNALING IN MELANOMA

摘要

The present invention is directed to a method of determining the prospects for survival of a melanoma patient. This method involves providing a biological sample from a patient diagnosed with melanoma, determining the level of an indicator of Wnt/β-catenin activation in the sample, comparing the level of the indicator of Wnt/β-catenin activation in the sample against a standard level of the indicator of Wnt/β-catenin activation correlated to survival of melanoma, and determining a patient's prospects for survival of melanoma based on the comparison. The present invention also relates to a method of improving survival of melanoma patients, decreasing metastases in melanoma patients, decreasing proliferation of cancer cells in melanoma patients, decreasing melanoma recurrence in melanoma patients, and/or decreasing tumor size in melanoma patients. This involves selecting melanoma patients and subsequently determining and monitoring therapy based on their level of Wnt/β-catenin activation. The selected melanoma patients are treated with a dose of an activator or synergizer of Wnt/β-catenin based on the patient's level of Wnt/β-catenin, under conditions effective, respectively, to improve survival of the selected melanoma patients, to decrease metastases in the selected melanoma patients, to decrease proliferation of cancer cells in the selected melanoma patients, to decrease melanoma recurrence in the selected melanoma patients, and/or to decrease tumor size in the selected melanoma patients.