skin cancer tagged posts

A new method for analysing the structure of skin using a type of radiation known as T-rays could help improve the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and skin cancer.

Scientists from the University of Warwick and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have shown that using a method that involves analysing T-rays fired from several different angles, they can build a more detailed picture of the structure of an area of skin and how hydrated it is than current methods allow.

Their method is reported in Advanced Photonics Research and could provide a new tool for scientists and clinicians for characterising the properties of skin in...

This is S. epidermidis growing on an agar plate. A strain of S. epidermidis was shown to produce a molecule that kills cancer cells and inhibits the development of skin tumors on mice. UC San Diego Health

Science continues to peel away layers of the skin microbiome to reveal its protective properties. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report a potential new role for some bacteria on the skin: protecting against cancer. “We have identified a strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis, common on healthy human skin, that exerts a selective ability to inhibit the growth of some cancers,” said Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine...

Tomatoes protect against development of UV-induced keratinocyte carcinoma via metabolomic alterations. Scientific Reports, 2017; 7 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05568-7

Discovery builds on previous evidence of cancer-prevention benefits. The new study found that male mice fed a diet of 10% tomato powder daily for 35 weeks, then exposed to UV light experienced, on average, a 50% decrease in skin cancer tumors compared to mice that ate no dehydrated tomato. The theory behind the relationship between tomatoes and cancer is that dietary carotenoids, the pigmenting compounds that give tomatoes their color, may protect skin against UV light damage.

There were no significant differences in tumor number for the female mice in the study...

Image: Most UVRAG complexes, multifunctional. UVRAG directly binds phosphorylated Bif, Beclin 1, Bax, CEP63 and DNA-PK, forming distinct protein complexes to regulate autophagosome formation, autophagosome maturation, endosome maturation, apoptosis, centrosome stability, DNA repair and genomic stability.

A new USC-led study identified a “sunscreen” gene that may help stave off skin cancer. The researchers found “UV radiation Resistance Associated Gene”, UVRAG, is a tumor suppressor for skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the US. Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer. In fact, melanoma rates have doubled over the last 3 decades...