FOR forty years, it has left scientists baffled. Now,
researchers have finally uncovered the secret behind a rare skin
cancer that can heal itself.
They hope the breakthrough will lead to new treatments for other
cancers.
Known as the multiple self-healing squamous epithelioma (MSSE),
the skin cancer grows rapidly for a few weeks before healing itself
spontaneously.
Scientists have now discovered that this happens because of the
failure of a gene - the Transforming Growth Factor (Beta), Receptor
1 (TGFBR1).
The breakthrough was made by an international research team
which included researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology
and Research's Institute of Medical Biology in Singapore.
Their findings, published on Monday in the journal Nature
Genetics, will help researchers understand and predict the effects
of cancer treatment drugs.
-- ST