Somatic mutations in facial skin from countries of contrasting skin cancer risk.

ABSTRACT: The incidence of keratinocyte cancer (basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin) is 17-fold lower in Singapore than the UK^1-3, despite Singapore receiving 2-3 times more ultraviolet (UV) radiation^4,5. Aging skin contains somatic mutant clones from which such cancers develop^6,7. We hypothesized that differences in keratinocyte cancer incidence may be reflected in the normal skin mutational landscape. Here we show that, compared to Singapore, aging facial skin from populations in the UK has a fourfold greater mutational burden, a predominant UV mutational signature, increased copy number aberrations and increased mutant TP53 selection. These features are shared by keratinocyte cancers from high-incidence and low-incidence populations^8-13.

SUBMITTER: King C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10484783 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature