Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to both colon and breast cancer. Now, through a new study, based on data from six previous studies, including 2,152 melanoma patients and 2,410 patients without melanoma, researchers discovered patients with the BSMI variant had a 30 percent higher risk of melanoma, as reported in the online edition of Cancer. During the study, scientist examined the effects of five vitamin D receptors gene variants and their added risks on melanoma. The researchers concluded that the FokI variant had no effect on the risk of melanoma and they were unable to draw a clear conclusion on the other variants effects, with the exception of BSMI, which increased risks for patients.

Vitamin D in the body can be a defender of cancer, because of its key functions of regulating cell growth, cell differentiation and cell death. Vitamin D binds with receptors within a cell, where it exerts its effects. Individuals seem to have varying genetic differences with Vitamin D receptors, investigators have noted. Which directs them to believe people may have different levels of Vitamin D throughout their bodies, resulting in some patients naturally having more protection from cancer than others.

A few minutes in the nice warm air always seems refreshing, but we have all seen the warning in regards to the dangers of the suns rays. Sun exposure can have positive effects, by increasing levels of Vitamin D in the skin. However, sun exposure is always recommended with some form of sunscreen. Based on the recent study, the researchers have discovered more detailed research is needed to prove that indirect sun exposure may have anti-melanoma effects, and whether one specific vitamin D receptor is independently associated with a greater risk for melanoma.

Disease & Illness – Melanoma Could Be In Your Genes | Health News

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This type of cancer rarely spreads to other parts of the body, but it can extend below the skin to the bone and cause considerable local damage. Doctors already know that non-melanoma skin cancer places people at high risk for developing additional skin cancers, but new research indicates it may also increase the risk of developing other malignancies in the body.

A team of researchers led by Jiping Chen, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute and Anthony Alberg, Ph.D., MPH, associate director for cancer prevention and control at the Hollings Cancer Center of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston looked at the data from a 16-year study involving 19,174 residents in Washington County, Maryland; 769 with non-melanoma skin cancer and 18,405 who were cancer free. After measuring and comparing the cancer risk of the participants, they found that individuals aged 25 to 44 who suffered from non-melanoma skin cancer were 2.6 times more likely to develop other types of cancer later in life, compared to those who never experienced the disease. In addition, the younger a person developed non-melanoma skin cancer, the higher their risk of developing other cancers.

Among the cancers likely to be contracted, melanoma was the most common, with eight times the risk, but there was also an increased risk of developing lung, colorectal and breast cancers. Prostate cancer was also linked but the association was not statistically significant. "It seems like non-melanoma skin cancer, even though it is a non-fatal disease, may be a warning sign for increased risk of other, more serious cancers," Dr. Alberg said.

Researchers speculate that part of the reason for the increased risk is that some people have difficulty repairing DNA damage, which make them more susceptible to environmental irritants and more likely to develop cancer. Furthermore, patients who have survived non-melanoma skin cancer are visiting their doctors regularly for follow-ups and are therefore more likely to be diagnosed with other cancers. "A personal history of non-melanoma skin cancer may be more a part of personal health history than we thought before," said Dr. Alberg.

Margaret Karagas, associate director of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at Dartmouth Medical School, told ABC News that this study could provide a "useful model" for future cancer research, listing radiation and arsenic among the cancer-causing agents that were initially discovered because they caused skin cancers. "It is also important because in many parts of the world it appears to be one of the most rapidly increasing cancers," she said.

Another study led by Jennifer Christian from the VA Medical Center and Brown University found that patients taking blood pressure-lowering drugs called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) had a 39 percent lower risk of developing basal cell skin cancer and a 33 percent lower risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer. The researchers say it is unclear why these drugs lower the risk of skin cancer.

Non-melanoma skin cancer is commonly caused by excessive exposure to the sun’s UV rays. It starts in the top layer of skin and usually appears as a small, shiny bump or module on the skin, mainly on the areas exposed to the sun, such as the head, neck, arms, hands, and face. You can reduce your risk of developing skin cancer by applying a water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays, 20 to 30 minutes before going out into the sun, and reapplying it every hour or two. You should also avoid prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., which is the hottest part of the day. And remember that early detection is of the utmost importance, so if you notice any signs of skin cancer, notify your health care provider right away.

Both studies mentioned above were published in the August 26 online version of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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The creation of a “profile” of the chemical odors linked to skin cancer, may lead to a day when diagnoses can be made by waving a scanner over the skin, researchers told the annual conference of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Doctors have already know that skin cancer carries a particular odor, and recent studies have shown that dogs are able to detect tumors because they smell differently than normal skin.

“Researchers have speculated that tumors give off different odors, but we’re the first to identify and quantify the compounds involved in skin cancer odors,” said chemist Michelle Gallagher, who conducted the study at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gallagher and colleagues analyzed the air above tumor sites in 11 patients diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, and compared the finding with those taken from healthy patients.

They found “a different profile of chemicals above tumor sites relative to healthy skin; the same chemicals are present, but at skin cancer sites some chemicals are increased, while others are decreased compared to healthy individuals.”

Around one million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year.

The scientists did not reveal the specific chemicals found, but they plan to identify a reliable “odor profile” of all three forms of skin cancer, including squamous cell cancer and melanoma, the deadliest form.

Gallagher said she hoped the findings would “open doors to potential new approaches to skin cancer diagnosis based on the profile of skin odors, hopefully leading to more rapid and non-invasive detection and diagnosis.”

Skin cancer is currently diagnosed by taking biopsies of irregular moles or lesions.

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