 |
|
Skin cancer breakthrough - Gene explains why men are at higher risk of malignant melanoma
November 26, 2003Researchers from Germany have identified a gene that is associated with an increased risk of suffering from skin cancer. The research, published this month in Journal of Carcinogenesis, could also explain why men are more likely to suffer from malignant melanoma than women.
Although most people associate melanoma with exposure to UV light, through excessive sunbathing for example, the disease can be inherited - indicating that faulty genes are also partly to blame. Genetic risk factors also affect the likelihood of individuals suffering from non-inherited, or sporadic, melanoma.
To identify these risk factors, researchers from the University Hospital in Tuebingen took blood samples from 450 healthy volunteers, and 500 people who had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, from which they could extract DNA. In collaboration with Genefinder Technologies Ltd., Munich, Germany and Sequenom Inc., San Diego, USA, the researchers studied the DNA samples, looking for slight differences in the genes between people with melanoma skin cancer and people with no cancers at all. To do this they screened more than 25,000 sites across the whole genome, which are known to vary naturally between different people.
The researchers identified a gene called BRAF that contains several sites of natural variation. Some variants were more likely to be found in people who suffered from melanoma than in those that did not. But, when the data was separated by sex, it appeared that the variants only conferred a higher risk of suffering from melanoma on men who carried them.
At present, men have a 1 in 58 chance, and women a 1 in 82 chance of developing the disease in their lifetime. The researchers write: "BRAF may be one explanation of why males have an increased lifetime incidence of melanoma compared to females".
Until now, the best-known risk factor for melanoma was if you had a mutated copy of the gene CDKN2A. This gene could explain about 25% of the inherited cases of melanoma, which equates to about 1% of the total number of cases.
The risk associated with BRAF is much more significant. The researchers write: "We estimate that BRAF could account for an attributable risk of developing melanoma of approximately 4% in the German population. This risk estimate is much higher than that attributed to CDKN2A."
Dr Peter Meyer, the managing researcher of this study, said: "It will be exciting to learn more about whether BRAF is also associated with melanoma-risk in other populations with higher melanoma incidences like Australians."
The BRAF gene encodes a protein that activates the growth and multiplication of cells. Recent studies have shown that mutations in BRAF, which cause the protein to become more active, are commonly found in melanomas and moles. The variants that have been identified in this study do not have any effects on the activity of the protein - how they increase the risk of suffering from melanoma is currently unknown.
Professor Claus Garbe, the principal investigator of the project said: "Moles are a major risk factor for the development of malignant melanoma. BRAF mutations occur in the majority of melanomas but also in moles. We are therefore interested in addressing the question of whether carrying certain variants of the BRAF gene could predispose people to having or developing more moles, and thus to an increased risk of developing melanoma"
Dr Goppala Kovvali, the Editor-in-chief of Journal of Carcinogenesis said: "This article is an important contribution to the field of carcinogenesis. I anticipate that several studies will be undertaken to investigate the BRAF gene in connection with melanoma, especially in the United States and Australia where skin cancer is one of the common cancers."
The incidence of malignant melanoma has rapidly increased in recent years. It is the leading cause of death from skin disease, as once the cancer has spread it is resistant to most available treatments.
BioMed Central Limited
Skin Cancer Current Events and Skin Cancer News RSSNew breast imaging technology targets hard-to-detect cancers
Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is effective in the detection of cancers not found on mammograms or by clinical exam, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Lung airway cells activate vitamin D and increase immune response
Vitamin D is essential to good health but needs to be activated to function properly in the human body. Until recently, this activation was thought to happen primarily in the kidneys, but a new University of Iowa study finds that the activation step can also occur in lung airway cells.
Chronic inflammation can help nurture skin cancer, study shows
Inflammation, a frontline defense against infection or disease, can help nurture skin cancer, researchers have found.
Children with cystic fibrosis not well covered by guidelines for vitamin D needs
Existing recommendations for treating vitamin D deficiency in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) are too low to cover the serious need, leaving most at high risk for bone loss and rickets, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
2008 ozone hole larger than last year
The 2008 ozone hole - a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica - is larger both in size and ozone loss than 2007 but is not as large as 2006.
Pitt research indicates new virus is culprit, not bystander, in deadly skin cancer
University of Pittsburgh scientists are uncovering more evidence that a virus they recently discovered is the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma, an aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer.
Variant of vitamin D receptor gene linked to melanoma risk
A new analysis indicates an association between a gene involved in vitamin D metabolism and skin cancer. Published in the November 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that individuals with certain variants in a vitamin D-related gene, called BsmI, may be at an increased risk of developing melanoma.
History of nonmelanoma skin cancer is associated with increased risk for subsequent malignancies
Individuals with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are at increased risk for other cancers, according to a study published in the August 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers discover how rheumatoid arthritis causes bone loss
Researchers have discovered key details of how rheumatoid arthritis (RA) destroys bone, according to a study published in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Researchers discover scent of skin cancer
According to new research from the Monell Center, odors from skin can be used to identify basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. The findings, presented at the 236th meeting of the American Chemical Society, may open doors to development of new methods to detect basal cell carcinoma and other forms of skin cancer.
More Skin Cancer Current Events and Skin Cancer News Articles
 | The Skin Cancer Answer: The Natural Treatment for Basal and Sqamous Cell Carcinomas and Keratoses by William I. Lane, Linda Comac A complete guide to the new vegetable-based skin cancer... |
 | Atlas of Skin Cancers Processed by Frozen Sections and Mohs Surgery by Stephen N. Snow This work is the first of its kind, demonstrating the interpretation of pathology slides processed by frozen sections. It includes clinical photos of the primary tumor of nearly every type of skin cancer, compiled from cases treated at the premier facility for Mohs micrographic surgery—the Dermatologic/Mohs Surgery Clinic at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.... |
| Coping With Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers (Coping) by Wendy Long | |
 | Skin Cancer by Keyvan Nouri The ultimate all-in-one guide to diagnosing and treating skin cancer . . "This all-inclusive textbook contains the most comprehensive, up-to-date and detailed information on any topic related to skin cancer....It could serve as the main resource for any physician for years to come."--Perry Robins, MD, President, Skin Cancer Foundation (from the foreword). . Comprehensive in scope, yet precise... |
 | Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time: Practical Advice For Preventing Cancer by Lynne Eldridge, David Borgeson The mortality rate from cancer hasn't changed in 60 years despite the billions invested to find a cure. Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time provides solid, practical advice for preventing cancer by avoiding carcinogens and implementing lifestyle/dietary practices that modify cancer causing factors. Combining their experience in family medicine and epidemiology with their passion for disease... |
 | Skin Cancer (The Biology of Cancer) by Po-lin, Ph.d. So Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers; doctors detect it in about 1 million Americans every year. Skin Cancer examines this disease, which, if found early, is usually cured by relatively simple surgery. Readers will also gain valuable insight into how they can lower their risk for skin... |
 | 100 Questions & Answers about Melanoma & Other Skin Cancers by Edward F. McClay, Mary-Eileen T. McClay, Jodie Smith This book deals with skin cancer from a doctor's and a patient's... |
 | Cancer of the Skin: Text with CD-ROM by Darrell Rigel, Robert Friedman, Leonard M. Dzubow, Douglas Reintgen, Robin Marks, Jean-Claude Bystryn Cancer of the Skin offers a comprehensive overview of skin cancer from the underlying biology to the clinical features of the disease, diagnosis and therapy. The book has been created by a multi-disciplinary, international team of some of the world's leading experts on this important topic.Containing over 500 full color images, Cancer of the Skin focuses in particular on the importance of early... |
 | The Eggplant Cancer Cure: A Treatment for Skin Cancer and New Hope for Other Cancers from Nature's Pharmacy by Bill Cham Perfection or near-perfection is rare in any area of medicine. Dr. Bill Cham has achieved it in the treatment of two common cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Dr. Cham's treatment also eliminates actinic keratosis, a usually benign (but potentially malignant) skin condition of middle ages and older. What's near-perfection? A treatment that: --Works nearly every time --Has... |
 | Skin Cancer: Recognition and Management by Robert A. Schwartz The second edition of Skin Cancer: Recognition and Management is a definitive clinical reference which comprehensively examines the wide range of premalignant and malignant cutaneous disorders, including melanoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and other sarcomas, cutaneous lymphoma, cutaneous metastatic disease and cutaneous markers of internal malignancy, with emphasis on the most recent advances in... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |