Expression of SPARC in cancer tissues correlated with poor prognosis in malignant melanoma, bladder, and oesophageal carcinoma as also reported by others, although some of these reports was analysed by RT–PCR using whole specimens (Massi et al, 1999; Yamanaka et al, 2001; Yamashita et al, 2003). Here, SPARC is linked to melanoma.