Expression of S100, HMB45 and Melan A in Oral Mucosal Melanoma

Background: Malignant melanomas of the oral cavity are rare tumours. The diagnosis of mucosal melanoma can be difficult especially when it presents itself in its amelanotic form.

Methodology: An electronic search was carried out on Pubmed and Medline database to find studies addressing this question published between Jan 2001 and April 2020. Multiple studies are done to determine the staining and positivity of the above mentioned three markers were found. A total of 4 studies were finally selected for this review which tried to determine the efficiency of these three markers in the diagnosis of oral mucosal melanomas.

Results: The patient’s data that stained positive S100, HMB45 and Melan A from 4 studies were selected.

Conclusion: S100 continues to remain the most sensitive marker for melanoma with its promising ability in diagnosing the desmoplastic variant. The lack of specificity is still a drawback of S100.