Mdm2 overexpression could be linked to gene amplification in several malignancies (eg, malignant melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and lipomatous tumours (Dworakowska et al, 2004; Nilsson et al, 2004; Muthusamy et al, 2006) but in PCa a specific Mdm2 gene amplification could not be demonstrated by Southern blot analysis so far (Ittmann et al, 1994). Here, MDM2 is linked to melanoma.