AI Summary
Age-related changes in fibroblasts, which produce the skin's structure, contribute to the development of aggressive melanoma in males. This research suggests that age and sex-related changes interact to create disparities in melanoma outcomes between men and women. Fibroblasts play a crucial role in this process by promoting the spread of melanoma tumor cells.
Age-related changes in the fibroblasts, cells that create the skin’s structure, contribute to the development of aggressive, treatment-resistant melanoma in males, according to research in mice by the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
The study was published online Sept. 6 in Cell.
The risk of developing melanoma, a potentially deadly skin cancer, increases with age. Men are more at risk than women, and tend to develop more aggressive, hard-to-treat melanomas, particularly at advanced ages, says Ashani Weeraratna, Ph.D., the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, E.V. McCollum Professor, and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins. The study was co-led by Yash Chhabra, Ph.D., who is now an assistant professor at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
Weeraratna and colleagues have demonstrated that age-related changes in the normal cells around tumor cells -; the tumor microenvironment -; contribute to cancer outcomes. So, they wanted to find out if age- and sex-related changes might interact to contribute to sex-linked disparities in melanoma.
Melanoma is far more aggressive in men than women. Do normal cells around the tumors age differently in men versus women?”
Ashani Weeraratna, Ph.D., the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, E.V. McCollum Professor, and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins
Fibroblasts make collagen, a protein that gives the skin structure and strength. In previous research, Weeraratna and colleagues showed that age-related changes in fibroblasts promote the spread of melanoma tumor cells and lead to worse outcomes. Now, they confirm that fibroblasts