Skin Cancer Institute-- Research Updates

Epidemiologic or population research focuses on the impact of disease on entire human populations instead of individuals. The research attempts to link human health effects to a cause. For example, the effects of environment and/or genetic factors on skin cancer within a population. 

Behavioral research is the study of cognitive factors (mental processes of perceiving, thinking, and remembering), affective factors (emotion), attitudes, and beliefs that may or may not influence use of skin cancer prevention or sun protection behaviors. For example, previous studies conducted by team members have examined the behavioral responses to a diagnosis of skin cancer and factors such as risk perception and cancer worry that affect risk-reducing behaviors.

Basic research is the foundation of medical discovery, while translational research is the process of taking a discovery from the laboratory into the clinic. The goal of translational research is to produce results that directly benefit human health. Current areas of The University of Arizona Basic and Translational Research include:

• Skin biology - understanding how skin cancer develops
• Skin cell regulation - understanding molecular signals that control skin cells
• Photobiology - understanding how sunlight affects skin and skin cancer

Clinical trials are biomedical or health-related research studies conducted in humans, that study the use of specific therapies to treat or prevent skin cancers. These studies are guided by detailed protocols and are approved by an institutional or ethical review board.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of new topical drugs for skin cancer prevention, developed by SCI scientists and physicians are ongoing.  Promising results from these studies will be used to further advance our drug and development efforts.

See a list of open clinical trials for melanoma and other skin cancers at The University of Arizona Cancer Center:

 Find a Clinical Trial.

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Prevent Cancer Foundation: Community Ambassadors for Skin Cancer Prevention

This program will teach community members about skin cancer and ways to be sun safe, while also training them to deliver these messages to others within the community. The SCI’s goal is to “spread the word” on how dangerous sun exposure and skin cancer can be, and to create a healthier community. 

The curriculum for the sun safety training already exists as a course at the University of Arizona known as Project SASS (Students Are Sun Safe). In 2010, experts in skin cancer, health education, and adolescent education developed this curriculum to raise awareness in youth and teens about the dangers of too much ultraviolet radiation (UVR). 

To learn more about the program, or to schedule a sun safety program for your school, contact Dylan Miller at dylanmiller@arizona.edu(link sends e-mail). 

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AZ-Discovery Boost Grant (American Cancer Society): T cell sculpting of the neoantigen landscape in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Arizonans are generally at high risk of developing skin cancer, including cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), given increased exposure to sunlight in warmer, sunnier climates. Sunlight causes mutations in human DNA, and these mutations result in mutated protein segments called neoantigens that are unique to cancer cells. Neoantigens can allow cancer cells to be recognized and destroyed by a type of immune cell called a T cell. Immunotherapies harness the ability of T cells to destroy cancer.

Understanding the neoantigens present in cSCC tumors and the ways that cSCC tumors avoid destruction by T cells will guide the development of more effective treatments for patients with advanced cSCC.