Sun and skin – a dangerous combination

Box 5 | Australian research

Australian medical researchers have been in the forefront of research into skin cancer.

CSIRO scientist Dr Mark Berman and his colleagues have developed a form of microscopy to diagnose melanomas without needing a biopsy of the material. The Image Analysis Group at CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences has developed an instrument for computer diagnosis based upon analysing pictures of the skin.

In collaboration with specialists from the Sydney Melanoma Unit and a medical instrumentation company, the scientists have put the knowledge of melanoma experts into a computer program. A special magnifying camera converts information from the skin into digital form, which the computer then analyses for possible melanoma, using its database compiled from the existing knowledge of experts. General practitioners without specialist knowledge use the system to come up with a faster, cheaper and less invasive diagnosis.

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Scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research have discovered why some families tend to develop melanoma more than others. The role of ultraviolet radiation in causing melanoma is well known, but the researchers have shown that people with certain genetic variations on chromosome 20 have an increased risk of developing the disease. Their findings may one day enable early detection or prevention of skin cancer in people who are more genetically susceptible to developing melanoma.

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Further research out of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research has pinpointed two genes that can influence the number of moles a person has, and, when found together, double the risk of developing melanoma.

Working on the knowledge that a person is more likely to develop melanoma if they have a high number of moles, Professors Nick Hayward and Grant Montgomery studied the genes and mole counts of over 6000 people, and found two genes variations associated with high mole counts. These two genes were then shown to be linked with melanomas in another 4000 people.

This research will help to develop potential screening techniques, and drug treatments for melanoma.

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The Bureau of Meteorology now presents daily forecasts of the intensity of UV-B radiation. This is useful in helping people make decisions about appropriate activities and clothing. The regular announcement on weather bulletins also helps remind people of the ever-present nature of ultraviolet radiation.

But forecasting ultraviolet radiation is not easy. The calculation must take into account the time, date, latitude, altitude, atmospheric ozone concentration and the possibility of cloud or haze, because all these factors can affect the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching the ground. The Bureau has worked with the Cooperative Research Centre for Southern Hemisphere Meteorology to develop a special global computer model to help predict ozone concentration (ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation) and calculate the amount of ultraviolet radiation that will pass through the atmosphere to the ground. Forecasters can then correct for the amount of cloud expected at any location around midday.

The effectiveness of clouds in screening ultraviolet radiation is complex. It depends partly on the thickness, composition and type of cloud. Most clouds block some ultraviolet radiation, but some types can actually increase the ground level intensity by reflecting the sun’s rays. When the sun is high in the sky, ultraviolet radiation can still penetrate thick cloud.

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Boxes
Box 1. The ultraviolet family
Box 2. Types of skin cancer
Box 3. The molecular mechanisms of skin cancer
Box 4. Diagnosing skin cancer
Box 6. Sunblocks and sunscreens

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Page updated March 2009.