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Melanoma
Gene Discovered
Excerpt
By Randy
Dotinga,
HealthScoutNews
Researchers at Rutgers University think they've discovered a gene
that contributes to melanoma, a form of skin cancer that kills
thousands every year.
The finding won't immediately translate
into a treatment, researchers say. However, it's possible doctors
could eventually develop a test to determine which babies are
at highest risk for the disease, giving them a chance to go into
life with a special respect for the powers of the sun, says Dr.
Martin A. Weinstock, a professor of dermatology at Brown University.
"We could take a lot of precautions
and do lots of surveillance," Weinstock says. "You could
protect them from ultraviolet [sun] exposure and screen them when
they get to be adults."
While melanoma accounts for just
4 percent of skin cancer cases, it is by far the deadliest form
of the disease. Melanoma, which often strikes moles on the skin,
is easily cured if caught early. But the disease often kills if
the cancerous moles aren't discovered until the tumors have spread
to other parts of the body.
Suzie Chen, an associate professor
of chemical biology at Rutgers University, stumbled upon a melanoma
gene by accident as she studied how cells form and make themselves
different from others. While working with genetically altered
mice to understand how cells turn into fat cells, she noticed
that one mouse developed a melanoma on its skin.
After more research, Chen found
the cancer appeared to be directly tied to a gene that turns itself
on only in the brain, where it releases a protein and contributes
to learning and memory. Somehow, the gene -- which is in the DNA
of every cell -- also turned itself on in the skin of the mouse,
contributing to melanoma.
Chen's findings will appear April
21 in the online edition of Nature Genetics.
Chen and her colleagues later discovered
the gene had turned on in one-third of tissue samples from people
who had various types of melanoma. That suggests the gene contributes
to the disease in humans and mice.
With more study, it could be possible
to design chemotherapy to target melanoma cells by detecting a
protein given off by the troublesome gene, Chen says.
Weinstock says genetic research
by scientists like Chen is important to gaining a better understanding
of melanoma. But the findings don't change the fact that the best
way to prevent the disease is to limit sun exposure, he adds.
While melanoma can appear on parts
of the body that never see the light, sunburns and exposure to
ultraviolet light -- especially in childhood and adolescence --
are considered risk factors.
Weinstock calls on people to adopt
a "slip, slop and slap" approach: "Slip on a shirt,
slop on the sunscreen, and slap on a hat."
More information
Learn more about melanoma from
the National
Cancer Institute or the American
Academy of Dermatology.
Reference
Source 101
For
more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
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