Skin Cancer

Genetics and Melanoma

Q: Read study done in Germany that links fathers to sons gene related to melanoma genesis in families. Any more research done on it yet? Reader from Vancouver, WA A: Many studies have shown a genetic link, and some of the responsible genes are known (and can be tested for), but these mutations are only responsible for a small number of melanomas. In 90% of melanomas, the genetic changes leading to cancer are somatic mutations, meaning that they were not inherited and developed from scratch in the affected person. Here is where it gets interesting: Exposure to ultraviolet light will generate many of these mutations. ...