Role of Metabolic Enzymes in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer

Role of Metabolic Enzymes in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: Potential for Informative Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets

The researcher can proved that certain compounds play an important role in the prevention of skin cancer. Researcher can use specific compounds, which classified as metabolic enzymes, and lower concentrations and complete absent in skin cancer cells. Researcher can biopsies of normal skin and precancerous or cancerous lesions, and can compare the concentrations of these compounds to determine the difference between the two areas. The result can lead to further understanding of skin cancers and pre-cancers. Because skin cancers and pre-cancers are so common, any knowledge would be very useful for many people in the future and may be used for development of future treatments or prevention strategies.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Skin Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: skin specimen

Detailed Description

Biopsy procedure will be done at the Beckman Laser Institute or at the Dermatology Clinic Gottschalk Medical Plaza, of University of California, Irvine. Standard procedure of punch biopsy will be done in the areas determined by the physician researchers. The normal skin biopsy will be obtained from an area of skin without any suspicious lesions located on an area of the body. Biopsy specimens will be stored frozen at Beckman Laser Institute chemistry-lab for research and will be assigned with subject ID number, there will be no personnel health information attach to the skin specimens. There will be no cost to the subject or their insurer for participation in this study, except in the specific scenario of a suspected skin cancer that would undergo biopsy regardless of participation in this study. The time commitment for each subject is approximately 1 hour for each set of biopsies.

Researchers can test the hypothesis that expression of key metabolic enzymes is reduced and/or lost during skin cancer progression. Total ribonucleic acid, a single-stranded biologic molecule involved in gene transcription, regulation, and translation, can be isolated from biopsied skin specimens. Quantitative Real-Time can be performed to determine the expression levels of several key metabolic enzymes.

Metabolic enzymes regulate several vital signaling pathways in the human body. Some examples include hormone and bioactive lipid regulation. Aberrant regulation of these signaling pathways can lead to human diseases including cancer.

Recent evidence has shown that metabolic enzyme call UGT in the genes call UDP-glucuronosyltransferases were shown to have significantly reduced expression in breast tumors compared with normal breast tissue from the same patients This observed loss of expression is hypothesized to be causal as these two enzymes are responsible for estrogen metabolism.

However, relatively little is known about metabolic enzymes and skin cancer. We have preliminary data that UGT enzyme expression is lost during melanoma progression which allows deregulated lipoxygenase signaling.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 26

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Irvine, California, United States, 92612
      • Beckman Laser Institute
    • Irvine, California, United States, 92697
      • Gottschalk Medical Plaza, 1 Medical Plaza Drive

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Study population will be selected from University of California Irvine Medical Cencal

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or Female are age18 years and older
• Have normal skin and a skin lesion of interest
• Willing to have skin biopsies on those areas

Exclusion Criteria:

• Male or Female are under 18 years of age
• Pregnant women

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Only
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
skin specimen	Other: skin specimen; skin specimen

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
expression levels of metabolic enzymes in normal skin versus precancerous lesions or skin cancer	Overall, compare normal skin versus precancerous lesions or skin cancer from the same individual. Paired tests of samples are selected from the same subjects.; 10 actinic keratosis samples,; 10 basal cell carcinoma samples; 20 squamous cell carcinoma samples; Normal skin control biopsy from the same subject will be collected.	1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine
• Collaborators: Beckman Laser Institute University of California Irvine; Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 10, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): September 19, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 1, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 28, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Skin Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20107851; SEED Grant 405181-66496 (Other Identifier: NCI)