Researchers at EARA member the Champalimaud Foundation, in Portugal, have gained significant insights about the most common type of skin cancer in humans.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) rarely spread and are often treatable with surgery, however if left untreated they can become aggressive, destroying skin, tissue and bone and sometimes become life-threatening.

The research focused on a protein called Survivin, which helps stem cells grow and divide while preventing them from self-destructing.

Using genetically altered mice with cancer-causing genes, the team showed that Survivin plays a crucial role in both the development and progression of BCC. They also found that Survivin not only supports skin tumour growth, but can also make cells that normally resist cancer more likely to form tumours.

When the researchers blocked Survivin or SGK1 – another protein involved in BCC progression – in the genetically altered mice, it stopped pre-cancerous cells from progressing into malignant skin tumours.

“For me, the most beautiful part of our study was finding that Survivin can also induce cells that are resistant to cancer formation to become competent in this regard,” said lead researcher Adriana Sánchez-Danés.

The study was published in Cancer Discovery.