Scientists Identify Gene That Causes Type of Skin Cancer

Scientists say they’ve identified a gene that appears to cause the most common form of skin cancer when it turns on in vulnerable skin cells.

The gene, called Gli1, was already known to scientists, but the new work suggests a link to basal cell carcinoma. At least 750,000 Americans a year get this form of skin cancer. It is highly curable if treated early, and deaths are rare.

The new finding might mean that tests for Gli1 activity could allow early diagnosis of basal cell cancer, while drugs that interfere with its functioning might treat the disease, researchers from New York University said.

In the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Nature, they report evidence that Gli1 had been active in nearly every sample of basal cell tumor they analyzed.