Skin cancer is a type of cancer that can be treatable if caught early enough, but causes problems if the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. And of course, like other cancers, there is always an effort to determine the reasons why tumors develop, or why sections of the body cell suddenly become cancerous. In this research, there was an investigation into a type of skin-blistering disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex. This research helped determine factors that led to skin cancer (link to article):
For the study, researchers at Cancer Research UK’s cell structure group at the University of Dundee compared cells of people with EBS to those without. When the EBS cells were damaged – or rubbed enough to cause blistering – their structure changed to stop them dying. The study found that when damaged cells continue to grow, it causes a process that allows a greater number of tumours to grow.
“Even slight damage to the skin of people with EBS can kick-start a signaling pathway which prevents the skin from killing and clearing damaged cells,” the Daily Express quoted Dr David Russell, Cancer Research UK scientist and the study’s lead author, as saying.
