Re: MC1R, ASIP, and DNA Repair in Sporadic and Familial Melanoma in a Mediterranean Population

Extract

We read with great interest the article by Landi et al. ( 1 ) reporting the association of melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R) variants with melanoma risk and progression in sporadic and familial melanoma patients from northeastern Italy. They observed a two- to fourfold increase in risk of both sporadic and familial melanoma among individuals carrying MC1R variant alleles compared with those carrying wild-type MC1R.

We investigated whether MC1R variants were associated with the risk of sporadic cutaneous melanoma in a population from central and northeastern Italy. We recruited 165 sporadic melanoma patients at the Departments of Dermatology of the Universities of L'Aquila, Modena, and Florence, Italy. For each case patient, one control subject was matched by sex, age (within ± 1 year), and residential area (administrative province). The control subjects were recruited from patients who were treated for diseases unrelated to melanoma by the Surgery and Internal Medicine Departments of the same University Hospitals. Both groups included 82 men and 83 women with a median age of 49 years (range: 17–82 years). The study was approved by the local ethical committees, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Information on family and medical history, phenotypic risk factors for melanoma (skin type, hair and eye color, number of melanocytic nevi, and the presence of clinically atypical nevi), and UV exposure habits were collected through a standardized questionnaire and skin examination.