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Natasha Webb Biology 1615 3.30.2014 Research Summary One in three people will develop cancer during their lifetime (Song, etal). This article discusses two very different types of skin cancer: primary cancer and skin cancer. Primary cancer is a type of cancer that can occur in any part of the body, and some environmental influences can increase the risk. An example would be that smoking can increase the chances of getting lung cancer. Some examples of primary cancers would be: prostate, lung, pancreatic, lymphoma, kidney, breast, and bladder cancers. The second type of cancer the article discusses is skin cancer. There are two types of non-melanoma skin cancers called squamous cell skin cancer (SCC) and basal cell skin cancer (BCC), which are both slow growing but can still be fatal if left untreated. There are more than 2 million cases of these types of skin cancers each year! The most dangerous type of skin cancer is melanoma, which can metastasize quickly and must be treated immediately. Cancer is caused by the cells in the body mutating and then the cells begin to divide quickly causing major problems. Past studies had shown a relationship between people who have had a history of nonmelanoma skin cancers were more at risk to develop a primary cancer somewhere else in the body. So, if non-melanoma skin cancer could be reduced, the risk of getting a primary cancer could be reduced as well. Also, special programs could assess participants and catch cancer earlier, thus treating cancers successfully earlier. These surveillance programs would also reduce the number of deaths each year from cancer. In the study, it explains that cancer is responsible

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for 13% of deaths worldwide (Song, etal), and to reduce this number, would be incredible. Some researchers believed that cancer causing agents, called carcinogens, cause both BCC and SCC cancers as well as primary cancers. Other researchers believed that non-melanoma skin cancer shares a similar molecular structure with other cancers because the DNA didnt undergo the proper mechanisms. Researchers predicted two very different ideas. The first idea was that sunlight causes skin cancer, but vitamin D from the sun will reduce the risk of other cancers by keeping people stronger and healthier. So skin cancers arent connected with primary cancers. In fact they would help reduce other cancers. The other idea was that all cancers share a common molecular mechanism, so history of these similar carcinogens in non-melanoma skin cancer may increase the development of a cancer somewhere else in the body. This idea explains that both skin cancer and primary cancer share common carcinogens, increasing the chance of primary cancers since the carcinogen has already affected the body. Researchers carried out this experiment by examining two groups of people, called cohorts, who were the Health Professionals Follow-up and the Nurses Health study. Both of these groups enrolled 51,529 total males and 121,700 females. Each group was used to investigate connections with different factors, including nutritional factors and incident of illness. To investigate each participant, a questionnaire was given to them to assess their lifestyle, diet and medical history. Other follow up questionnaires would be given every two years to update past information. The results of this research showed that a history of non-melanoma skin cancer was associated with an 11% higher risk of other primary cancers in men, and a 20% higher risk in

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women (Song, etal). From 1984 to 2008, a total of 36,102 cases of non-melanoma skin cancers and 29,447 new cases of other primary cancers were found. Special statistical models were helpful in determining whether the findings correlated with both types of cancer. The findings did suggest that there was a positive correlation between non-melanoma skin cancer and primary cancer. Specific results the article gives is that a history of skin cancer has associated with an increase risk of breast, lung, and melanoma among men and women. There was an increase of cancer of people who had a history of either squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma. Not all lifestyle factors could be used in this study because of numerous limitations.

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Works Cited Song, Fengju, Abrar A. Qureshi, Edward L. Giovannucci, Charlie S. Fuchs, Wendy Y. Chen, Meir J. Stampfer, and Jiali Han. "Risk of a Second Primary Cancer after Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer in White Men and Women: A Prospective Cohort Study."PLOS Biology (2013): n. pag. Plos.org. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.