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Studies Redheads have a significantly increased skin cancer risk
If you have red hair, pale skin and freckles, you have to be careful with the sun. Because of the responsible genes, the risk for skin cancer increases. The gene variant not only leads to red hair, it also increases the risk of developing skin cancer at the same time. This increased risk is comparable to the expected mutation that occurs within 21 additional years of life.
Redheads are often mocked at school and usually get through their fair skin more easily a sunburn. Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have now found in an investigation that responsible genes also increase the risk of skin cancer. There are also people with a MC1R gene copy who are fair skinned but not redheaded. Even in these individuals, the gene variant is associated with a higher number of mutations that can lead to skin cancer. The scientists published the results of their study in the journal Nature Communications.
Red-haired people usually get a sunburn faster, it is a special gene variant. This also causes redheads to increase the risk of skin cancer. (Image: Jessmine / fotolia.com) The MC1R gene increases the likelihood of skin cancer
Are you one of those people who have red hair, are fair-skinned and have freckles? Then you should be especially careful in summer and always protect yourself well from the sun. A gene variant in redheads causes a higher number of mutations can occur, which then lead to skin cancer, explain the authors. The so-called MRC1 gene can also occur in people without red hair.
Even a single copy of the MC1R gene variant leads to more mutant tumors
It has been known for some time that a person with red hair has an increased chance of developing skin cancer at some point in their lives. However, the results of the new study show for the first time that a gene is associated with the increased number of mutations and skin cancers, the researchers explain. It was also unexpected to see that people with a single copy of this gene variant had a much higher number of mutant tumors compared to the rest of the population, the experts add.
Redheads should avoid the sun and sunbeds
Redheads make up about one to two percent of the world's population. In the UK, there are even six percent of people with red hair. Those affected have two copies of a variant of the so-called MC1R gene, explain the researchers. These lead to red hair, freckles and pale skin, which is often burned in the summer by the sun. Exposure to UV light is caused either by the sun or sunbeds in solariums. Redheads should listen to the experts, and not take their warning of intense sunbathing lightly.
Redheads should avoid some professions
However, sometimes people have no choice but to be exposed to extreme sunlight, such as when working outdoors. People who work as construction workers or roofers are mostly at risk from the sun. But other occupational groups also have an increased skin cancer risk. When redheads work in such professions, their risk increases further.
Study analyzed the data of the tumor DNA sequences of more than 400 cancer patients
For their study, the team analyzed the data from the tumor DNA sequences of more than 400 people with cancer. They found that an average of 42 percent more sun-associated mutations were present in people with an MC1R gene variant.
MC1R gene variant increases number of spontaneous mutations due to sunlight
The MC1R gene variant not only increases the number of spontaneous mutations by the sunlight, but it also increases the level of other mutations in the tumors, the experts explain. This clearly indicates that there are biological processes in the development of cancer in people with MC1R, which are not only related to the irradiation by UV light. Red-haired people should be extra careful in strong sunlight. It is particularly important for such people to protect themselves from the sun with sunscreen and long clothing so as not to suffer from skin cancer, emphasize the physicians. (As)