People who have previously had nonmelanoma skin cancer appear to face a higher risk of other cancers, according to researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina. The study analysed data on 769 people with non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma) and a further 18,405 people with no previous history of cancer for 16 years.
Dr Alison Ross, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “The next steps will be for scientists to investigate the biology behind this link, so they can piece together what’s really happening in the body and how.”
In another study of skin cancer, Michelle Gallagher and colleagues at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, in Philadelphia, claimed to have identified the odour that emanates from tumours. Unveiling their findings at the annual conference of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, the researchers said that the discovery could lead to more rapid and non-invasive detection and diagnosis.
