The expression levels of CD44 and ALDH1A1 were investigated in 107 skin cancer specimens including 58 (54%) basal cell carcinomas (BCC), 37 (35%) squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), and 12 (11%) melanomas using the tissue microarray (TMA) technique.
We wished to develop a technique to unmask chemically CD44s and CD44v epitopes in paraffin-embedded specimens of human skin cancers, so that they would be accessible for these mAbs.