|
|
|
HOBART, TASMANIA. Researchers at the University of Tasmania have developed a novel way of
determining a person's risk of developing melanoma or skin cancer. Their experiment included 244 patients
with cutaneous malignant melanoma, 220 with basal cell carcinoma, 195 with squamous cell carcinoma, and
483 healthy controls. All participants were of northern European descent. The researchers measured the
participants' melanin density in skin of the upper inner arm using a handheld spectrophotometer. They
found that men with a low melanin density had a 6.2-fold greater incidence of melanoma, a 6.3-fold greater
incidence of basal cell carcinoma, and a 4.2-fold greater incidence of squamous cell carcinoma than did
men with a high level. The corresponding figures for women were a 1.9, 1.4 and 0.7 fold increase.
The researchers point out that melanin absorbs ultraviolet light and is found in greater density in the skin of
racial groups (dark-skinned people) that have the lowest incidence of skin cancers. They cannot explain
why women show a poorer correlation between melanin density and skin cancer risk, but speculate that it
could be due to a higher general degree of sun avoidance among women.
They conclude that spectrophotometric measurement of melanin content could be used to identify people of
high risk for developing melanoma or skin cancer.
|
|
|
|
