Re: Relationship Between Sunlight Exposure and a Key Genetic Alteration in Basal Cell Carcinoma

Extract

Cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer occurring in Caucasians, with an incidence of 175 per 100 000 reported in American men ( 1 ). The disease causes considerable morbidity and is placing increasing burdens on health services because mortality is low and incidence is increasing by 10% per annum ( 2 ).

While exposure to UVB radiation is critical, the relationship between this exposure and BCC risk is complex, and host factors including response to UV radiation are implicated ( 2 , 3 ). Indeed, recent studies have provided molecular evidence implicating host response. A candidate gene (patched) for Gorlin's syndrome, a familial condition associated with multiple BCCs, maps to chromosome 9q22 ( 4 ), and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in this region has been reported to occur in 60%–70% of sporadic BCCs ( 3 ). Recent studies, however, found no association between 9q LOH and UV radiation exposure, as assessed by site or UV radiation-related mutations in p53.