Faulty Gene Behind Skin Cancer Also Triggers Spread

6 January 2011 - Scientists from ICR have discovered that skin cancer can spread to the lungs when a gene in an important cell communication pathway is blocked.

Professor Richard Marais and his team showed that in human cancer cells and mice, a gene called BRAF - which is damaged in about half of all skin cancer cases - triggers a cell signalling pathway that ultimately ‘blocks the instructions’ from a second gene called PDE5A.

In healthy cells PDE5A acts as a brake to stop cell movement. But in cancer cells, BRAF turns PDE5A’s signals off, removing its ability to block cancer spread.

By blocking the activity of PDE5A, BRAF drives skin cancer cells to invade new tissues and spread further around the body, converting skin cancer into a more aggressive disease.

The team showed that when faulty BRAF blocked PDE5A, the skin cancer cells spread more easily to the lungs.

Professor Marais said: “This research further puts the focus on BRAF as an important target for therapy to prevent the spread of skin cancer.”