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American Society for Photobiology


  Lux et Vita since 1972


 

  The ASP promotes research in photobiology, integration of different photobiology disciplines, dissemination of photobiology knowledge, and provides information on photobiological aspects of national and international issues.


 

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Sun Exposure and Melanoma


Melanoma of the left foot (image from Will Blake).

Photochemistry and Photobiology has published 95 articles on melanoma since 1976 and 10 publications so far this year, including "Understanding signaling cascades in melanoma" [1].

The July 26 issue of the British Medical Journal features a "Head to Head" debate (a weekly feature) entitled "Is Sun Exposure a Major Cause of Melanoma?"

Sam Shuster (Department of Dermatology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital) notes that ultraviolet radiation is a major cause of basal and squamous cell cancers. These cancers develop in pale sun-exposed skin and are common in patients with xeroderma pigmentosum, who suffer from impaired DNA repair of ultraviolet light-induced DNA damage. However, he argues that sun exposure is not a major cause of melanoma, which more typically occurs on sites that receive less sun exposure [2].

In contrast, Scott W Menzies (Sydney Melanoma Diagnostic Centre, University of Sydney) argues that sun exposure is a major cause of melanoma. His argument is based on consideration of the anatomical sites where melanoma occurs, the association of melanoma with sun exposure, genetic evidence, and other factors [3].

1. Lopez-Bergami P, Fitchman B, Ronai Z, 2008, Understanding signaling cascades in melanoma. Photochem Photobiol 84:289-306. [PubMed]

2. Shuster S, 2008, Head to Head. Is sun exposure a major cause of melanoma? No. BMJ 2008;337:a764. [PubMed]

3. Menzies SW, 2008, Head to Head. Is sun exposure a major cause of melanoma? Yes. BMJ 2008;337:a763. [PubMed]

Access Photochem Photobiol

Full Text of published articles and "Online Early" articles. (Procedure from an institution with a subscription may vary among institutions.)
    a. Go to ASP Business Office
    b. Enter User ID and Password.
    c. Click "Online Journal" (left column).

Abstracts of "Online Early" articles. (Members have access to the full text of articles by any of these methods if they remain "logged on" to the ASP Business Office.)
    a. Click a title from the "widget" below ("Upcoming in Photochem Photobiol")
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    a. Use an RSS reader to capture the feed from Blackwell
    b. Select article of interest
                OR
    a. Go directly to aspjournal.com
    b. Click "Latest issue" (right column)

Upcoming in Photochem Photobiol


 

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Recent Publications by ASP Members: June 1-30, 2008

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