The evaluation of estrogen receptor β as a potential prognosis factor in melanoma

Abstract

Differences across sexes in cutaneous melanoma incidence, metastatic pathways and disease outcome are consistently observed, with women having a significant survival advantage compared with men. This suggests that gender could play a role as a prognostic indicator through sex hormone signaling, but the mechanism is still unclear. This article focuses on available literature data concerning the influence of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) expression as a host-related biological protective factor for female patients with melanoma. Furthermore, it highlights the potential role of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) as a prognostic biologic marker in cutaneous melanoma.