Malignant and premalignant subclones in normal human skin form a bubbling cauldron, competing for survival.
Chronic ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure represents the single greatest environmental risk factor for skin cancer. Skin cancers are well known to have the highest average number of mutations of any human cancers. Furthermore, cancers often arise in exposed at-risk skin.
Martincorena and colleagues used next-generation sequencing and analysis to probe how clinically normal, UV-damaged epidermis might harbor mutations in 74 cancer-related genes. In eyelid skin obtained during blepharoplasty in four adults, they found five mutations per megabase of DNA — a mutational load exceeding that in most human cancers, including breast cancer. Mutations were most frequent in genes (TP53, NOTCH1-3, RBM10, FAT1, FGFR3) that are altered in squamous cell …
Reviewing Authors
DisclosuresGrant / Research support American Association for Cancer Research – Landon Foundation; National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute; Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas
Editorial BoardsJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology
DisclosuresGrant / Research support American Association for Cancer Research – Landon Foundation; National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute; Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas
Editorial BoardsJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology
DisclosuresConsultant / Advisory board Ulthera, Inc.; AuBio LifeSciences, LLC; Paris Therapeutics
Equity Elorac, Inc.; Makucell, Inc.; Paris Therapeutics
Editorial boards UpToDate
Leadership positions in professional societiesNational Rosacea Society (Chairman, Medical Board)
DisclosuresConsultant / Advisory board Ulthera, Inc.; AuBio LifeSciences, LLC; Paris Therapeutics
Equity Elorac, Inc.; Makucell, Inc.; Paris Therapeutics
Editorial boards UpToDate
Leadership positions in professional societiesNational Rosacea Society (Chairman, Medical Board)