A Johns Hopkins scientist and a team of collaborators have
discovered how precancerous moles may progress to melanomas, the
most deadly type of skin cancer. The preliminary report, in the
Aug. 15 issue of Cancer Research, describes a link between two
genes that trigger skin cancers and could serve as early
diagnostic markers for the disease. The researchers say that in
melanomas a cell growth regulatory gene known as Id1 deactivates
an important tumor suppressor gene, p16/Ink4a, allowing cancer
cells to grow uncontrollably. High levels of Id1 proteins are
found only in the first stages of melanoma, allowing it to be
detected and treated while still in a curable stage. "Telling
the difference between precancerous moles and early-stage
melanoma can be very difficult, and the treatments for these two
lesions differ significantly," explains Rhoda Alani, assistant
professor of oncology, dermatology, molecular biology and
genetics and director of the study. "If it's melanoma, you want
to catch it very early and tre