By Middle Age Skin Cells May Have Already Mutated towards Cancer
By Middle Age Skin Cells May Have Already Mutated towards Cancer – Researchers from the Sanger Institute found that more than a quarter of a middle-aged person’s skin cells may have already mutated into cancer.
Researchers know which skin cell mutations lead to cancer, but they wanted to find out when the cancer cells first start to appear. For the study, they removed excess skin from four patients and analyzed the DNA to figure out when the cells first started mutating towards cancer.
According to Dr Peter Campbell, the head of cancer genetics at Sanger, a quarter to a third of the cells had already started mutating while still functioning normally. Campbell said that the cells would go through several mutations before turning cancerous, and noted that these cells were behaving differently from normal skin cells – they were growing faster.
Researchers say that cell mutations may accumulate over a lifetime, therefore, the best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect your skin from damaging exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation by wearing protective clothing, using a sunscreen, avoiding sunburn, and seeking shelter in the shade when the sun gets too strong. Checking your skin regularly for suspicious moles and other changes can help detect the cancer earlier, making it easier to treat and cure.
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