Definition
Photocarcinogenesis is a complex multistage process of tumor growth and development involving three distinct stages exemplified by initiation, promotion, and progression.
Characteristics
Ultraviolet Radiation and Skin Cancer
Skin, the largest body organ, situated at the interface between the body and its environment, directly suffers from the deleterious effects of xenobiotics and genotoxic agents including solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Solar UV radiation has been implicated as the main cause for skin cancer. The prevalence of UV-induced skin cancer is rapidly increasing, accounting for more than 40% of all human cancers in the United States, with about 1.2 million new cases being diagnosed each year.
Solar UV radiation is divided into three regions depending on wavelength, short wave UVC (200–280 nm), mid wave UVB (280–320 nm), and long wave UVA (320–400 nm). UVC has the...
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References
Afaq F, Adhami VM, Ahmad N et al (2002) Botanical antioxidants for chemoprevention of photocarcinogenesis. Front Biosci 7:d784–d792
Bowden GT (2004) Prevention of non-melanoma skin cancer by targeting ultraviolet-B-light signalling. Nat Rev Cancer 4:23–35
Melnikova VO, Ananthaswamy HN (2005) Cellular and molecular events leading to the development of skin cancer. Mutat Res 571:91–106
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Afaq, F. (2011). Photocarcinogenesis. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_4546
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_4546
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