Scientists Discover 3 Genes Associated with Increased Melanoma Risk

Researchers have identified 3 genetic faults that appear to significantly increase a person’s risk of developing melanoma. The research team, led by Professor Tim Bishop of the Cancer Research UK Centre at the University of Leeds in the UK, studied the genes in blood samples of nearly 3000 Europeans with melanoma and compared them to samples taken from the general population. Previous research by the team linked 5 pigmentation genes and 3 ‘mole formation’ genes with melanoma risk, however the 3 newly identified genes play no role in hair, skin, or eye color. One of the gene faults was found in a region of a gene called MX2 linked to narcolepsy, the second was in a gene called ATM that is involved in DNA repair, and the third was found in the CASP8 gene, which plays a role in triggering programmed cell death (apoptosis). Possessing both copies of all 3 genes was found to increase the risk of developing melanoma by nearly 30%.  “We know that overexposure to UV increases the risk of developing melanoma – but this evidence shows that there are new additional genetic faults which can push up the risk further,” concluded Professor Bishop.