Virus linked to common skin cancer, no longer just about the sun

A study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology establishes a link between a virus and squamous cell carcinoma, a very common skin cancer. Could skin cancer be about more than ultraviolet light exposure?

The evidence of viral interactions with human genetic code across a broad gamut of organ systems - with impact across fetal brain development and adult-onset sexual health, to cite just two examples - is leading scientists in new directions and establishing a new respect for common viruses. A very common skin cancer - squamous cell carcinoma - is now linked to a virus that had previously been associated with another more rare form of skin cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma is a highly curable skin cancer that is expected to affect more than 200,000 Americans this year. It is most commonly found in middle-aged adults and the elderly, particularly among people with fair skin - and its cause has been attributed to sunlight exposure. Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered that squamous cell carcinoma may be about more than the sun. When analyzing tumor tissue from squamous cell biopsies, they found a virus that had previously been discovered in Merkel cell carcinoma - a considerably more rare but aggressive skin cancer that strikes the elderly. "They identified the virus in more than a third of the patients and in 15 percent of the tumors tested. In addition, all of the virus found in tumor cells had a mutation that could enable the viral DNA to integrate into the DNA of the host cell," Science Daily reported. “This is indirect evidence that the virus might play a role in causing some cases of squamous cell carcinoma,” said principal investigator Amanda E. Toland, assistant professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics and a researcher with the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, according to Science Daily. “Originally it was thought that this virus caused only this rare skin cancer, but our findings indicate that it is a lot more prevalent than we initially thought,” she said. The findings, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, suggest that the virus may mutate to allow it to integrate with human skin-cell DNA. The next steps for the researchers are to test healthy skin tissue to understand how common the virus is. “If it proves to be a cancer-causing virus, and if it proves to be common in the general population, it might be something we should begin screening people for,” Toland said, according to Science Daily.