Table 1 Clinicopathological characteristics of patient specimens used for protocol optimisation and validation of melanoma microRNA signatures

Age (mean, stdev)

67 (16)

Age (mean, stdev)

60 (17)

Sex:

Sex:

 Male

34

     Male

35

55

 Female

26

      Female

29

45

Disease status:

Disease status:

Invasive melanoma (n = 28)

Invasive melanoma (n = 52)

Clinical stage

Clinical stage

 Stage I

5

18

    Stage I

4

8

 Stage II

11

39

    Stage II

7

13

 Stage III

4

14

    Stage III

27

52

 Stage IV

8

29

    Stage IV

14

27

Histological subtype:

 Histological subtype:

 Epithelioid

1

4

    Acral lentiginous

1

2

 Nodular

5

18

    Epithelioid / Spindle cell

1

2

 Superficial spreading

10

36

    Lentigo maligna

2

4

 Melanoma NOS

12

43

    Malignant melanoma, NOS

38

73

    Nodular

5

10

    Superficial spreading

5

10

Other (n = 32)

Naevi

13

41

Histological subtype:

Other (n = 12)

 Compound

5

38

Naevi

8

67

 Dysplastic

1

8

Histological subtype:

 Intradermal

4

31

    Actinic keratosis

2

25

 Junctional

2

15

    Naevi, NOS

1

13

 Solar keratosis

1

8

    Seborrheic keratoses

5

63

Melanoma in-situ

4

33

Melanoma in-situ

19

59

Histological subtype:

Specimen collection type:

 Melanoma in-situ NOS

6

32

    Archival

51

80

 Junctional

1

5

    Prospective

13

20

 Lentigo maligna

10

53

 Superficial spreading

2

11