Like AJCC stage, which has been widely accepted as an independent prognostic factor for melanoma patient survival, HMGB1 expression is an independent prognostic factor for overall (relative risk=6.14, 95% CI=2.25 to 16.76; p<0.0001, Table 2) and disease-specific 5-year survival (relative risk=3.81, 95% CI=1.15 to 12.59; p=0.028; Table 2). Here, HMGB1 is linked to melanoma.