# Somatic activation of KIT in distinct subtypes of melanoma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-curtin-kit-melanoma-jco-2006/  
OnCo record `paper-curtin-kit-melanoma-jco-2006` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

This study found KIT mutations and amplifications in a substantial minority of mucosal, acral and chronically sun-damaged skin melanomas but almost never in ordinary skin melanoma, identifying a targetable driver for these rarer subtypes.

## Summary

Analysis of 102 primary melanomas from mucosal, acral, chronically sun-damaged and non-sun-damaged sites for KIT copy number and mutations, finding KIT alterations in 39 percent of mucosal, 36 percent of acral and 28 percent of chronically sun-damaged melanomas, and none in non-sun-damaged skin melanomas.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Year: 2006
- DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2006.06.2984
- Authors: Curtin JA, Busam K, Pinkel D, et al.
- Findings: KIT aberrations in 39 percent of mucosal, 36 percent of acral and 28 percent of chronically sun-damaged melanomas.; Absent in melanomas on skin without chronic sun damage.
- What it means: KIT joined BRAF and NRAS as a melanoma driver and became the rationale for imatinib and nilotinib in mucosal and acral melanoma.
- Caveats: Later series found lower mutation frequencies (about 10 to 15 percent) in mucosal and acral melanoma.

## Sources

- J Clin Oncol 2006: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2006.06.2984
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16908931/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Acral melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/acral-melanoma/), [Mucosal melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/mucosal-melanoma/)
- journals: [Journal of Clinical Oncology](https://onco.cc/journals/jco/)

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