Method for Detection of Melanoma

A non-invasive method for staging malignant melanoma in a skin sample from a human subject, the method comprising analyzing expression in the skin sample of one or more melanoma skin markers selected from Interleukin-1 RI (IL-1 RI), endothelin-2, ephrin-A5, Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) Binding Protein 7, Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-A0202 heavy chain, Activin A (βA subunit), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) RII, SPC4, and Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF) Rα, wherein expression of the melanoma skin markers is related to a stage of melanoma, thereby staging melanoma in the skin sample.

A non-invasive method for staging malignant melanoma in a skin sample of a human subject, the method comprising

• a) obtaining a skin sample by applying an adhesive surface to the skin and removing the adhesive surface from the skin such that a skin sample comprising nucleic acid in an amount sufficient for subsequent detection adheres to the adhesive surface after its removal;
• and
• b) analyzing expression in the nucleic acid of melanoma skin markers selected from Interleukin-1 RI (IL-1 RI), endothelin-2, ephrin-A5, Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) Binding Protein 7, Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-A0202 heavy chain, Activin A (βA subunit), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) RII, SPC4, and Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF) Rα in the nucleic acid sample, wherein a decrease in expression levels of IL-1 RI and an increase in expression levels of endothelin-2 and ephrin-A5 is indicative of early stage melanoma and an increase in expression of IGF Binding Protein 7, HLA-A0202 heavy chain, Activin A (βA subunit), TNF RII, SPC4, and CNTF Rα is indicative of late stage melanoma.