Yahoo Lifestyle Red heads at greater risk of deadly form of cancer
Getty Images
Those with auburn locks are up to 100 times more at risk of developing the most lethal form of skin cancer
Scientists have long known that fair-skinned people with red hair are at greater risk of melanoma than darker skinned individuals but now research has confirmed why: a gene mutation that causes the red colouring also leaves DNA in skin cells more prone to sunlight damage.
The research presented in Molecular Cell showed that the MC1R-RHC gene variant both lowered a cell's guard against ultraviolet (UV) rays while also stimulating cancer-causing signals in the body.
Study leader Dr Wenyi Wei, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, said: 'Our findings provide a possible molecular mechanism as to why red-haired individuals harboring MC1R mutations are much more susceptible to UV-induced skin damage than individuals with darker skin, resulting in a 10 to 100-fold higher frequency of melanoma.'
The MC1R gene normally binds to and protects another gene well known for its ability to suppress tumours, PTEN. However, in those with red hair, this support structure fails, leaving red haired people at far greater risk of the deadly form of skin cancer.
'As a result, upon UVB exposure, we saw an increased destruction of PTEN in the mutated pigment cells,' said Dr Wei.
The gene mutation has also been linked to breast, ovarian and lung cancers.
According to the Melanoma Institute of Australia 1500 Australians die from melanoma every year. While only 2.3% of all skin cancers in Australia are melanoma, it is responsible for 75% of skin cancer deaths and it kills more 20–34 year-old Australians than any other single cancer.
