Gene fragments of hotspot mutation regions in BRAF (exon 15) and NRAS (exon 2) were amplified by PCR in separate reactions to screen for common mutations found in melanomas. Standard PCR reactions were carried out using Amplitaq Gold DNA polymerase in 1× PCR buffer (Applied Biosystems) according to manufacturer's instructions. Primers: BRAF exon 15 Forward: 5′-TCA TAATGCTTGCTCTGATAGGA and Reverse: 5′-GGCCAAAAATTTAATCAGTGGA (annealing temperature 59°C); and NRAS exon 2 Forward: 5′-GGTGAAACCTGTTTGTTGGA and Reverse: 5′-TTCAGAACACAAAGATCATC (55°C).