Sunscreens do not protect completely against the development of skin cancer, study shows -
The researcher at the Neurosciences Institute, Joint Center of the University Miguel Hernández (UMH) in Elche and the higher Council for scientific research (CSIC), Berta López Sánchez-Laorden co-author of a study that concluded that sunscreens do not protect fully against skin cancer development . The research was recently published in Nature.
The study demonstrates that sunscreen, even with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 50, can not fully protect against the development of melanoma. According to a researcher at the UMH Berta López Sánchez-Laorden, sunscreen protects against immediate radiation damage including sunburn, but the radiation can still penetrate and damage the DNA of cells and cause cancer.
Through the use of genetically modified mice so that they were susceptible to melanoma, the researcher found that ultraviolet light induces mutations in the DNA of melanocytes in a gene called p53 . This is one of the genes considered the guardians of the genome as it is essential in detecting and repairing the damage that accumulates in cells, such as produced by ultraviolet light, and is a major obstacle to the body against the cancer.
Several epidemiological studies have shown an association between sun exposure and increased risk of melanoma. However, the molecular mechanism that causes this to happen was unclear.
Berta López Sánchez-Laorden is co-author of the work, which was one of the main projects carried out during his postdoctoral first developed in the Institute for Research on Cancer in London Manchester Institute Cancer Research UK.
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