Fighting Skin Cancer with Bacteria

Can having a dirty face protect you from skin cancer? Possibly. Researchers at the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine have recently found a strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis that is able to prevent the growth of some skin cancers. Although staph epidermidis is on all of us and common to our skin, this specific bacterial strain creates a chemical that is toxic to cancer cells.

The toxin has been identified as 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine (6-HAP). It blocks DNA synthesis and stops the cancer cells from spreading. Although mice studies are not always applicable to humans, in their study mice with this strain of S. epidermidis that made 6-HAP had less skin tumors after exposure to cancer-inducing UV light. Also, mice injected with 6-HAP every 2 days for 2 weeks had increased suppression of transplanted melanoma cells by more than 50% when compared to mice not injected with 6-HAP.

Does this mean that patients injected with this strain of S. epidermidis could have reduced rates of skin cancer? Would they still need to diligently wear sunscreen? Are there other types of bacteria that produce 6-HAP and can be harvested for skin cancer protection?

Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in the US each year. Most cancers come from exposure to the sun's UV rays, with basal cell carcinoma being the most common skin cancer. The most serious form of skin cancer is melanoma. Unfortunately, 63% of African American participants in a survey said they never used sunscreen. Melanomas in patients with darker skin types commonly appear in non-exposed areas such as the palms, soles, and nails.

No matter the skin hue, it is important to apply sunscreen SPF 30+ daily to help keep skin cancer at bay!

Citation:

Teruaki Nakatsuji, Tiffany H. Chen, Anna M. Butcher, Lynnie L. Trzoss, Sang-Jip Nam, Karina T. Shirakawa, Wei Zhou, Julia Oh, Michael Otto, William Fenical, Richard L. Gallo. A commensal strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis protects against skin neoplasia. Science Advances, 2018; 4 (2): eaao4502 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao4502