MMP3 and melanoma: MMP-3 has not been detected in ‘normal’ skin tissues distant from melanoma tumours, while high expression has been reported in the deep margins of melanoma and in the extracellular matrix (ECM) adjacent to the blood vessels, suggesting contribution of this enzyme in the processes associated with the invasiveness of malignant melanoma.[17,18] Moreover, earlier we found that high expression level of MMP-3 in melanoma metastases was associated with shorter disease-free survival.[19]