Table 1.

Patient characteristics and clinicopathologic correlation of serum miR-221 expression levels.

Clinical variable	All cases	Serum miR-221		P value
		High expression	Low expression
Age (years)
≥55	39	19	20	0.54
<55	33	17	16
Sex
Male	35	17	18
Female	37	19	18	0.71
Thickness (mm)
≤2.0	27	3	24
>2.0	45	33	12	0.03
Ulceration
Absent	32	13	19
Present	40	23	17	0.08
Histologic type
SSM	25	13	12
LMM	29	14	15
Other	18	9	9	0.42
Site
Sun exposed	41	23	18	0.15
Sun protected	31	13	18
Differentiation
Well	34	18	26
Moderate/poor	28	18	10	0.01
T classification
T1, T2	49	19	30
T3, T4	23	17	6	0.04
N classification
N0	47	19	28
N1–N3	25	17	8	0.009
Metastasis
M0	22	3	19
M1	50	33	17	<0.001
Stage
I/II	27	1	26
III/IV	45	35	10	<0.001

LMM – lentigo maligna melanoma; SSM – superficial spreading melanoma.