Evaluation of nestin expression in melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and basosquamous carcinoma

Introduction: Nestin plays a significant role in diagnosis, prognosis, clinical course and/or response to the treatment. Previous studies have investigated the nestin expression in melanoma, however a limited number have focused on basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and basosquamous carcinoma (BSC). Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate nestin expression in melanoma, BCC, and BSC. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 melanomas, 40 BCC and 40 BSC specimens. Tumor size, lesion location and stage of disease were recorded. Then, nestin staining was conducted in all the present samples, then the amount of nestin expression was assessed. Results: According to the results of this study, nestin was expressed in all melanoma specimens; while it was expressed in 15% of BSC and 25% of BCC specimens. The mean score of nestin expression in melanoma specimens (0.85 ± 2.50) was significantly higher than the BSC and BCC specimens with the means of 0.36±0.15 and 0.44±0.25 respectively (P value <0.001). However, there was no significant difference between BSC and BCC specimens in nestin expression. Additionally, in the melanoma specimens, a significant and direct relationship between nestin expression and the various stages of melanoma with the coefficient of 0.345 (P value = 0.025). Conclusion: The results of the current study showed that expression of nestin could have a good prognostic value in skin melanoma while, there is a significant relationship with its progression. However, in non-melanoma specimens, no distinction can be detected regarding the nestin expression.