Heather Klug, Ph.D., M.P.H., a UT Health Science Center immunologist and cancer prevention expert at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, is first author on a study proving for the first time that using sunscreen can prevent skin cancer.
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Contact: Will Sansom, 210-567-2579

EDINBURG, Texas (Nov. 15, 2010) — “Put on sunscreen and wait 15 minutes” turns out to be more than just good advice from your mother. Newly released research indicates that rubbing on a lotion with sunscreen active ingredients can prevent melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

“Especially after this study I can tell my friends and relatives, yes, use sunscreen on your kids; I use it on mine,” said lead author Heather Klug, Ph.D., M.P.H., an immunologist and cancer prevention expert from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Klug is based at the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) Medical Research Division, which is the Health Science Center’s campus in Edinburg in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Dr. Klug and her colleagues found that mice protected with SPF 15 sunscreen — applied 15 minutes prior to UV light exposure — were several times less likely to develop melanoma than mice coated with lotion that had no SPF (sun protection factor) ingredients. The study is described in the December issue of Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research and in an online video.

Study proves sunscreen prevents skin cancer
“This is the first time that we have been able to prove that a sunscreen will actually prevent a skin cancer, in this case melanoma, since we’re using a mouse model that is sensitive to melanoma,” Dr. Klug said in the video.

The research focused on mice with melanocytes (pigment-producing skin cells) that act similarly to human melanocytes. Melanomas, a cancer developing from melanocytes, occurred in 7 percent of the rodents in the control lotion group, compared to only 1 percent in the SPF 15 treatment group. The same area of skin was exposed to UV light in each group.

(Click on image to enlarge it.) This image shows DNA-damaged cells (brown stain) in the skin of mice who received the control lotion (Figure A). Figure B shows healthy skin cells of mice that received the lotion with sunscreen active ingredients prior to UV lamp exposure. Image courtesy of Klug, et al, PCMR, 23:835-837, 2010.

The scientists applied 2 milligrams of sunscreen per centimeter squared to the skin of 3-day-old mouse pups. “It was a lot of lotion, but it is the amount required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in determining the SPF rating,” Dr. Klug said. Researchers allowed the sunscreen to soak into the skin for 15 minutes. The animals were then placed under a UV lamp for 15 minutes — equivalent to three hours out in the sun in July, she said.

Less skin damage
In addition to reduced occurrence of melanomas, the scientists found less evidence of DNA damage in the SPF 15-protected animals.

The American Academy of Dermatology currently recommends use of sunscreen that is SPF 30 or more. In general, people should use a large amount and wait 15-30 minutes before exposure to the sun. Reapply it often during the day. “I hope people use this information as part of a comprehensive strategy to protect themselves from skin cancer, from melanoma, in the long run,” Dr. Klug said.

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Research and other sponsored program activity totaled a record $259 million in fiscal year 2009. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 26,000 graduates. The $744 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.