Alcohol (OH) and the Skin – Skin Cancer (For professionals)

Alcohol (OH) and the Skin – Table of Contents

Skin Cancer

• by immunosuppression
• by associated nutritional deficiencies which alter mucosal integrity
• by impairing detoxification
• promotion: eg ENT Scc, oral
• for BCC incidence increased as well as infiltrative behaviour
• unclear for malignant melanoma.

Due to the incomplete understanding as of today of the association, we have selected the following article in the scientific literature.

• Tan W, Bailey AP, Shparago M, Busby B, Covington J, Johnson JW, Young E, Gu JW. Chronic alcohol consumption stimulates VEGF expression, tumor angiogenesis and progression of melanoma in mice. Cancer Biol Ther. 2007 Aug;6(8):1211-7. Epub 2007 May 8.

1. We used the immunocompetent mice implanted with B16F10 melanoma cells to evaluate the effects of physiologically relevant ethanol intake on tumor growth and angiogenesis of melanoma.
2. Mice were given ethanol and then inoculated subcutaneously on the right proximal dorsal muscle with B16F10 melanoma cells. After being terminated tumour size, vasculature density and VEGF (and its receptor Flt-1) were measured.
3. EtOH intake caused a 2-fold increase in tumor weight over the control, a 2-fold increase in vascular density , and a significant increase in VEGF mRNA and protein expression plus Flt-1 protein levels in melanoma compared to the control group.