Cure for skin cancer

The newly discovered drugs combination for skin cancer can help if chemotherapy fails, extending patients’ lives by at least a year. In almost half of kidney cancer patients, by the time the disease is diagnosed it has already spread to other areas of the body due to a lack of symptoms, slashing life expectancy from five years to two. While chemotherapy, which kills both cancer and healthy cells, is used to treat most other advanced cancers, the treatment does not work for most kidney cancers.

The established treatment for the condition is either radiotherapy-which shrinks tumours or tyrosine-kinase inhibitor drugs, including one called sunitinib, which interrupt the blood supply to cancer. However, these only hinder the growth of tumours for four or five months. The drugs, ipilimumab and nivolumab, are already used with remarkable success in the treatment of deadly melanoma skin cancer.

Nivolumab is also used to treat advanced lung tumours. The new trial found that the combination achieved significant kidney tumour shrinkage in 42 per cent of the 425 patients in a trial and reduced the risk of death within two years by 37 per cent. Ipilimumab and nivolumab are immunotherapy drugs that work by enhancing the ability of the body’s immune system cells to attack and destroy cancer. Rather than just putting the cancer into remission for a period, like standard treatments, they appear to carry on working even after treatment has stopped

During the trial, 840 kidney cancer patients were given either sunitinib or the combination immunotherapy. Those on the combination had four infusions of the two drugs at three-weekly intervals. One-fifth of patients experienced severe side effects such as inflammation of the bowel or liver, and had to stop early. The median overall survival rate [the time at which 50 per cent of patients have died after treatment] for sunitinib was 26 months, but for the combination immunotherapy arm, it has still not been reached 36 months on. More than half the patients are still alive.
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Blood pressure drug increases the risk of skin cancer

Hydrochlorothiazide used for treating high blood pressure may increase the risk of developing skin cancer. Researchers examined the link between the common drug hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer. HCTZ is a popular diuretic used to treat water retention and high blood pressure.

The researchers were prompted in their endeavor by the fact that HCTZ has been linked with an increased risk of lip cancer in the past. The drug makes the skin more sensitive to the damage of ultraviolet (UV) rays, due to its photosensitizing effects. This was a further reason for the researchers to examine the drug.

The researchers considered the use of other antihypertensive medication.The research revealed that those who took HCTZ were up to seven times more likely to develop skin cancer. More specifically, the antihypertensive drug raised the risk of both squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma – a less serious form of skin cancer. By contrast, none of the other antihypertensive drugs examined seemed to raise skin cancer risk.

Hydrochlorothiazide made the skin more vulnerable to damage from the sun's UV rays, but what is new and also surprising is that long-term use of this blood pressure medicine leads to such a significant increase in the risk of skin cancer. Living in sunny environment while taking hydrochlorothiazide seems to be life-threatening for some patients.
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How ultraviolet rays cause skin cancer

Melanoma is a cancer of skin pigment cells called melanocytes, a fraction of those melanomas come from existing moles. When melanocyte stem cells accumulate a sufficient number of genetic mutations, they can become the cells cancers originate.

Under normal conditions, ultraviolet UV radiation from the sun activates melanocytes to release melanin, a pigment that protects the skin from the sun's rays. But if melanocyte stem cells have surpassed a threshold of genetic mutations, a tumor can start to grow. The skin stem cells can be activated by exposure to sunlight.

Exposure to sunlight triggers mutations that are sufficient for melanoma. A gene known as Hgma2 was suspected to become expressed in the skin under UV radiation. When expressed, Hgma2 facilitates melanocyte stem cells to move from the base of skin hair follicles to the skin's surface-the epidermis, where the cells release melanin.

Researchers used mice engineered with melanocyte stem cell mutations. One set of mice had the mutations, while another set with the mutations had the Hgma2 gene deleted. They then gave the mice a very low dose of UV radiation, just enough to trigger a tanning response. Mice with tumor-causing mutations and the Hgma2 gene intact developed melanomas, but the mice with mutations and the deleted gene remained healthy.
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Kidney transplant increases risk of melanoma

Kidney transplant patients are at greater risk of developing melanoma than the general population and risk factors are being older, male and white.

Lifelong immunosuppressive therapy is among the complex lifestyle changes faced by renal transplant patients. The type, intensity and duration of immunosuppressive therapy contribute to the risk of developing skin cancer, such as melanoma

Immunosuppressant drugs used to suppress and reduce the strength of the body's immune system and to make the body accept the transplanted organ.

Most of the patients with melanoma were men. Almost all of the patients with melanoma were white and they were more likely to be taking the common immunosuppressants cyclosporine or sirolimus than those without melanoma.

The group of patients who developed melanoma also had a greater proportion of living donors.
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Daily tomatoes consumption reduces risk of skin cancer

Dietary carotenoids, the pigmenting compounds that give tomatoes their colour, may protect skin against ultraviolet UV light damage.

Lycopene, the primary carotenoid in tomatoes, has been shown to be the most effective antioxidant of all the pigments.

Lycopene from tomatoes is more effective in preventing redness after exposure to ultraviolet sunlight.
Non-melanoma skin cancers are the most common of all cancers, sunlight contributes to growth of some skin cancers.

Regular consumption of tomatoes, fruits and vegetables can prevents the development of many diseases, especially skin cancer.
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Manicure increases risk of skin cancer

According to dermatologists, manicure can increase risk of infection and skin cancer. Gel manicures involves the use of UV rays to set the polish on finger nails for firm attachment.

Nail is an extension of skin, any chemical applied on the nail will affect the skin. Regular exposure of finger nails to dangerous rays may cause premature aging for the fingers and skin cancer.

Cuticles protect the fingernails from bacteria and fungus, cutting cuticles exposed the fingers to infections in traditional manicure. Cuticles can be pushed from nails gently during manicure than cutting.

Improperly sanitized tools can transmit diseases from one user to another. You can prevent this by going to salon with your manicure tools.
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How sugar spreads cancer

Researchers have discovered how sugar modification in cells enhances the spread of skin cancer.

The study reveals that FUT8, an enzyme that transfers the sugar fucose onto proteins, is the major cause of melanoma metastasis.

Scientists thought that the process in which carbohydrates attach to cell called glycosylation plays an important role in melanoma progression.

Researchers examined more than 30 samples of cancer tissue in patients, focusing on a particular type of glycosylation fucosylation, or the addition of sugars to a molecule by FUT8 and other enzymes.

Using laboratory mice, the researchers were able to reveal the role of FUT8 in metastasis, they subsequently focused on the factors behind the spread of melanoma.

Addiction of fucose to a particular molecule, L1CAM, by FUT8 spurred melanoma metastasis. When the
enzyme was removed, the onset of the cancer were hindered from spreading.

Solution to skin cancer

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, the three types of skin cancer: malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) - are mainly caused by UV exposure through the sun.

However, a new drug which is normally used to treat high blood pressure, may protect against sun induced cell damage. Western University of Health
Sciences in the US found the drug, carvedilol, for sun cancer treatment.

It stopped cancer-causing DNA damage and cell death produced by ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays. The drug decreased the  severity and number of tumours developing in mice and also delayed skin tumour formation more than sun cream.

According to Cancer Research UK, sunburn is a sign the DNA in your skin cells has been damaged by too much UV radiation. Exposure to painful sunburn
 just once every two years, can increase your risk of melanoma skin cancer.

You can prevent sunburn by wearing clothes that cover every part of your body and application of suncream with an SPF above 30 and five star UVA rating more than 20 minutes before going outside.