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Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Monday, November 4, 2024
According to Huan Qian, MD, PhD, of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China, and colleagues, it is often difficult to determine causality when identifying modifiable risk factors for skin cancer. Their study intended to determine these associations via Mendelian randomization, and it both reinforced the significance of previously known risk factors and established novel potential risk factors for skin cancer. The results of this analysis were published in the Journal of Translational Medicine.
“Our findings emphasize the importance of reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation as the most effective means of preventing all types of skin cancer,” the authors concluded. “Further work is necessary to determine the potential role of obesity, physical activity, occupation, nevi, type 2 diabetes, vitiligo, and rheumatoid arthritis in different skin cancer types and to decipher the underlying biological pathways.”
Using previously established genome-wide association studies, the genetic instruments for 53 risk factors were identified; factors included diet and lifestyle, comorbidities, socioeconomic status, medication use, and anthropometric measures. Summary statistics for the three major skin cancers—basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma—were used to perform two-sample Mandelian randomization.
The genetic predisposition for vitiligo was associated with a lower risk of all three types of skin cancer. In comparison, being susceptible to actinic keratosis, getting a sunburn, and having a diagnosis of a prior skin cancer all correlated with a higher risk of these skin cancers. Patients with a higher body mass index demonstrated a negative correlation with basal cell carcinoma but a positive association with squamous cell carcinoma. A higher occupational class and nevus count appeared to correspond with an increased risk of melanoma, whereas comorbidities and genetic predispositions to type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and increased physical activity correlated with a lower risk of basal cell carcinoma.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Journal of Translational Medicine
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