06/19/2002
By David Loshak
People with vitiligo may have a tumour suppressor gene that protects them from photodamage and non-melanoma skin cancer.
This is suggested by researchers in Greifswald, Germany and Bradford, England, after they failed to find an expected high risk for sun-induced damage and skin cancer in a group (n=136) of patients with vitiligo.
This finding coincided with a recent report on increased functional wild-type p53 gene expression among patients with vitiligo. Noting that ultraviolet radiation was well known to be related to non-melanoma skin cancer in Caucasians, the researchers noted that patients with vitiligo often had no protective pigment in sun-exposed, de-pigmented or white skin.
They also had severe oxidative stress due to accumulation of millimolar epidermal hydrogen peroxide.
These patients might therefore be expected to develop a higher risk for early photodamage and non-melanoma skin cancer. Despite this, however, various reports on small numbers of patients had not documented any increased risk for sun-induced skin cancers in patients with vitiligo.
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