Relationship Between Sunlight Exposure and a Key Genetic Alteration in Basal Cell Carcinoma

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Abstract
Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin is the most common cancer in humans. Epidemiologic studies implicate sunlight exposure as one risk factor, but the limited association between BCCs and UVB radiation (i.e., UV radiation of a wavelength of 280–320 nm) suggests that additional factors must be involved. At the molecular level, not much is known about the role of specific environmental agents in the pathogenesis of BCCs. Point mutations of the types produced by UVB radiation are seen in the p53 gene (also known as TP53; chromosome 17p) of 40%–56% of BCCs. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 9q22, however, is the most frequent genetic alteration in these tumors, and its causative agent is unknown.

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