Friday, April 22, 2011

Research Report: Vitiligo In Relation to Skin Disease

I posted about proper sun care a few weeks ago, and how the use of sunscreen is so crucial to keeping pigmentless spots safe from the sun. While it is true that these spots can get sunburned way worse than normal pigmented skin, it would seem that based off some of my research, people diagnosed with Vitiligo are not at higher risk of skin cancer. An article from the American Vitiligo Research Foundation says that the "results of two major studies showed that patients with Vitiligo do not have a higher risk to develop sun-induced skin cancer" but that "in the recent past an issue was put forward that PUVA therapy which is a frequently used treatment modality for vitiligo could be of potential risk to enhance the risk of skin cancer" [1].

A Health Buzz article from the US News even says that "Vitiligo may protect against skin cancer". Go figure. It says a "gene mutation linked to the skin condition Vitiligo ...may protect against melanoma" [3]. From what the article says, since Vitiligo is an auto-immune disease, your body is already fighting pretty hard against your skin cells, so you've got an added defense against melanoma. From what I also read in a BBC article, it seems to be a give take gene situation, it is a "common gene mutation that both increases the chance of Vitiligo and cuts cancer risk", and it says later that it helps against the "risk of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer" [2]. But according to vitiligoguide.com, the "New England Journal of Medicine briefs that the pale skin patches are caused by Vitiligo which increases the risk of melanoma (skin cancer) due to the deficiency of the pigment melanin" [4].

So it is obviously still a heavily debated and researched concept, either way I say you should still be mindful of the sun and your skin. But it is still cool to think that the obvious reaction from everybody who thinks that no pigment means increased cancer risk could be the complete opposite. Alas, it still remains a mystery, as does the disease itself, perhaps we may never know everything about the disease.

Works Cited
[1] http://www.avrf.org/facts/sun.htm American Vitiligo Research Foundation. Date of access 4/22/2011

[2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8635844.stm BBC News. "People with vitiligo 'may have skin cancer protection'" Published 4/21/2010. Date of Access 4/22/2011

[3] http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/cancer/articles/2010/04/22/health-buzz-vitiligo-may-protect-against-skin-cancer US News. Published 4/22/2010. Date of access 4/22/2011

[4] http://www.vitiligoguide.com/vitiligo-skin-cancer/ Vitiligo Guide. Posted 6/23/2010. Date of Access 4/22/2011

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