People with a genetic predisposition to basal cell carcinoma— the most common form of skin cancer— may trade one health risk for another, a new study suggests.
Because people with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS) tend to develop multiple basal cell skin cancers in early adulthood and so take more precautions against sun exposure, they may also run a higher risk of being deficient in vitamin D, report researchers in the October issue of Archives of Dermatology.
"We found that patients with skin cancer who practice very good photoprotection (sun protection) have lower vitamin D levels," said Dr. Jean Tang, lead author of the study. "This makes sense because they're avoiding sunlight and sun is required to synthesize vitamin D."
But having healthy levels of the nutrient may be necessary to protect against cancer, broken bones, heart disease and even some autoimmune diseases.
The study authors looked back at the medical records of 41 patients with BCNS who had previously been involved in a trial to see if the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex (celecoxib) might prevent against basal cell carcinomas. According to the authors, Celebrex is not known to affect vitamin D levels in the body.
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