.......................................... ..................................................................................... XVI CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 MELANOMA .......................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 Epidemiology .................................................................................................................. 2 1.1.2 Etiology and Risk Factors ............................................................................................... 5 1.1.3 Pathology of Melanocytic Tumours ................................................................................ 7 1.1.4 Staging and Prognosis ................................................................................................... 9 1.1.5 Treatment ..................................................................................................................... 11 1.2 SIGNALLING NETWORKS IN MELANOMA ................................................................................ 12 1.2.1 BRAF and MAPK/ERK signalling pathway ................................................................... 12 1.2.2 PTEN and the Akt signalling pathway .......................................................................... 16 1.2.3 NRAS mutations ........................................................................................................... 17 1.2.4 Autocrine signalling....................................................................................................... 20 1.3 MIF ................................................................................................................................... 21 1.3.1 MIF in Melanoma .......................................................................................................... 22 1.3.2 MIF signalling ................................................................................................................ 23 1.4 CD74 ................................................................................................................................ 23 1.5 CD44 ................................................................................................................................ 25 1.5.1 CD44 in cancer ............................................................................................................. 27