Potential utility of mutant oncogene-specific antibodies in melanoma.

To the Editors: Melanoma is not a single disease, but rather a heterogeneous group of neoplasms whose clinical–histopathological features, biologic behaviors, and responses to therapy are related to patterns of somatic mutations in specific oncogenes. Studies have identified that BRAF and NRAS mutational status correlate with both primary tumor characteristics and prognosis in patients with metastatic disease. BRAFV600E is the most commonly mutated oncogene identified in melanoma (;50% of cases) and the target for Food and Drug Administration– approved therapy (ie, vemurafenib) in patients with metastatic disease. Immunohistochemistry, using novel mutant protein-specific antibody, has been reported to be highly sensitive and specific for detection of the clinically important BRAFV600E mutation in melanoma. Accordingly, investigators have proposed the use of immunohistochemistry as an initial screening tool, a supplemental assay, or possibly a replacement test to conventional BRAF mutation analysis by molecular methods. AntiBRAFV600E mutant antibodies (Spring