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Skin Cancer

There is a compelling reason skin cancer research is aggressively pursued by the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah. That which is the biggest draw to our state, our mountains and our weather, is also one of our biggest detriments. We have, on average, 226 days of sunshine a year. This, combined with our altitude, which allows for more ultraviolet exposure, puts our population at greater risk for many types of skin cancer. It also provides a situation where a wealth of information and research possibilities are readily available.

The Department of Dermatology serves as one of the foremost centers for long-term studies, as well as research on the detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of skin cancers.

Familial Melanoma Research Clinic

Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Tom C. Mathews, Jr. Familial Melanoma Research Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. This Clinic represents a unique collaboration between basic research scientists and clinicians. Working together, they use state-of-the-art methods for the identification of genetic and environmental factors that play a role in the development and susceptibility to melanoma. An important focus is the education, prevention and detection, and clinical care of individuals and their families.

Genetic Mapping

Human genes are distributed across 23 chromosomes. Genetic mapping involves locating and characterizing the gene(s) involved with a particular disease on these chromosomes. By studying the genes of individuals with and without melanoma, genetic changes in a variety of genes that put people at risk for the disease can be identified. Laurence J. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. a board certified geneticist, was active in mapping and identifying the major melanoma risk gene on chromosome 9. He is currently focusing on the genetics of growth regulation of melanocytes in the skin compared with moles (nevi).

cDNA Microarray Analysis

Defects in multiple genes are involved in skin cancer. Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. and Laurence J. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. use a technology called cDNA Microarray analysis to screen skin cancer tissue for thousands of genes with the hope of identifying similar and specific genes involved in melanoma versus normal moles. Identification of the critical genes involved in skin cancer will identify new targets for therapeutic and preventative intervention.

Kristin M. Leiferman, M.D. and Gerald J. Gleich, M.D. are also using cDNA Microarray technology to identify the genetic “fingerprint” for allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a common eczema of the skin that typically begins in infancy and causes extreme itching, frequently associated with skin infections. It is generally believed that predisposed individuals with this common disease have inappropriate immune responses to common environmental antigens. Identification of specific genes will provide useful information for interfering with the abnormal reactivity.

Mole Mapping

A person with increased number of moles has an increased risk of melanoma. Working at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Douglas Grossman, M.D., Ph.D is involved in the mapping of the number, location, and characteristics of moles on high-risk subjects. Excess tissue from biopsied moles are being used for multiple studies investigating the physiology and molecular characteristics of new and changing moles.

Skin Cancer Pathology

The risk of developing melanoma is generally associated with the number of moles, the number of atypical moles and the location of these moles on an individual, as well as mutations on chromosome 9. Scott R. Florell, M.D., Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. and Laurence J. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. investigate the relationship between chromosomal mutations mutations and moles, in order to develop better methods for identifying people at risk for developing melanoma.

Apoptosis and Skin Cancer Pathogenesis

The laboratory of Douglas Grossman, M.D., Ph.D. in the Huntsman Cancer Institute investigates the regulatory mechanisms of apoptosis in melanocytes and keratinocytes, and the dysregulation of apoptosis in melanoma and non-melanocytes skin cancer. Previous studies have focused on Survivin, a newly-discovered inhibitor of apoptosis, that is expressed in skin cancers but not normal skin. Current studies using gene transfer and transgenic mouse technologies are evaluating the effects of its aberrant expression in melanocytes and keratinocytes.

Oxidative Stress and Skin Cancer Prevention

Douglas Grossman, M.D., Ph.D., Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph.D., and Pamela Cassidy, Ph.D. are investigating the role of oxidative stress in the predisposition toward melanoma, particularly in high-risk melanoma families. The long-range goal of these investigations is development of prevention agents that can be given to patients at high risk for melanoma.