Having Eczema May Lower the Risk of Skin Cancer, Study

Eczema, an inherited and chronic skin condition, is associated with a reduced risk of skin cancer.

Over recent years there has been an ongoing debate on allergic diseases and their impact on the risk of developing cancer. A few studies link eczema to a lower skin care risk. But the results are inconclusive as symptoms of eczema differ in severity and drugs used to cure the condition might influence cancer.

But researchers at the King's College London have confirmed that eczema caused by skin defects could actually help lower the risk of developing skin cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in the United States.

Dr Mike Turner, Head of Infection and Immunobiology at the Wellcome Trust, said, 'Skin cancer is on the rise in many countries and any insight into the body's ability to prevent tumour formation is valuable in the fight against this form of cancer. These findings that eczema can protect individuals from skin cancer support theories linking allergies to cancer prevention and open up new avenues for exploration whilst providing some (small) comfort for those suffering from eczema.'

According to the World Health Organization, skin cancer is a common problem accounting for 1 in 3 cancer diagnosis globally. Skin cancer, the abnormal growth of skin cells, often develops on excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and is known to alter the genetic material in skill cells.

A recent research stated that malignant melanoma is rated as the most dangerous form of skin cancer and currently, there has been a five-fold increase in the UK of this cancer compared to the early 1970s.

Eczema mostly occurs from the loss of structural protein in the outermost layers of the skin causing a defective skin barrier. 

In the current study, the genetically engineered mice lacking three skin barrier proteins were used to mimic some of the skin defects found in eczema sufferers.  

The researchers then compared the effects of two cancer-causing chemicals in normal mice and mice with barrier defect.  They noticed that in the mice with barrier defect, the number of benign tumors per mouse was six times lower than in the normal mice.  This clearly indicated that the epidermal barrier played a significant role in protecting the genetically engineered mice against the formation of tumors.

Both the types of mice were equally vulnerable to suffering from cancer inducing mutations. It was the inflammatory reaction in the barrier defect mice that led to the improved  shedding of cancerous cells from the skin.

Professor Fiona Watt, Director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, said, 'We are excited by our findings as they establish a clear link between cancer susceptibility and an allergic skin condition in our experimental model." They also support the view that modifying the body's immune system is an important strategy in treating cancer.

The finding was documented in eLife.