Eczema Patients Less Likely to Develop Skin Cancer: Study

Eczema patients are less likely to develop skin cancer, according to a study.
Atopic dermatitis commonly known as eczema is a skin condition categorized by extreme dryness and irritation that usually occurs during childhood but can persist in later years.
Researchers from the King's College in London discovered that this skin defect can protect against melanoma a form of skin cancer and growth of cancerous tumors by shedding off the outer layer of the skin.
The study used a rodent model to observe immune responses triggered by Eczema in preventing skin cancer. They then tested the impacts of two carcinogenic chemicals in two groups of mice. In one group the three skin barrier proteins were removed to replicate eczema conditions. The other group comprised of normal mice.
It was found that mice that had eczema like conditions had six times lesser number of benign tumors than normal mice. The study also noted that eczema affected mice had excessive inflammation due to lack of structural protein in the outermost layer that resulted in rapid dislodge of the cancer cells from the skin. This proved that "defects in the epidermal barrier can protect against benign tumor formation."
The findings also revealed that it can help safeguard skin from various bacterial infections.
'We are excited by our findings as they establish a clear link between cancer susceptibility and an allergic skin condition in our experimental model. They also support the view that modifying the body's immune system is an important strategy in treating cancer," said Fiona Watt study author and Director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in a news release. "I hope our study provides some small consolation to eczema sufferers - that this uncomfortable skin condition may actually be beneficial in some circumstances."
According to data by the American Cancer Society, this year almost 76,100 individuals will be affected with melanoma and 9,710 are likely to succumb to the disease. Even though, melanoma accounts for only two percent of the skin cancer types, it causes majority of deaths.
"Skin cancer is on the rise in many countries and any insight into the body's ability to prevent tumour formation is valuable in the fight against this form of cancer. These findings that eczema can protect individuals from skin cancer support theories linking allergies to cancer prevention and open up new avenues for exploration whilst providing some (small) comfort for those suffering from eczema," said Mike Turner, the head of Infection and Immunobiology at the Welcome Trust.
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Welcome Trust and Cancer Research in the U.K. More information is available online in the journal eLife.