We confirmed the overexpression of CTHRC1 mRNA in primary melanomas compared to benign nevi using quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) in a subset of the microarray samples (Breslow's thickness: mean = 10.6 mm, median = 6.7 mm) as well as in an independent sample set (Breslow's thickness: mean = 4.1 mm, median = 4.0 mm), finding 11.8-fold and 4.7-fold differences, respectively, in the expression levels between groups (Figure 1A). Here, CTHRC1 is linked to melanoma.