137 SRF/MRTF drive basal cell carcinoma growth through hedgehog pathway activation

Abstract

Skin cancers can be curable with a minimally invasive treatment and the QOL after treatment can be significantly improved, if they are detected at an early stage. The diagnostic biomarkers allowing early detection of skin cancers are required to improve the survival rates of skin cancers. Although the study of biomarkers of skin cancers has been performed widely, no crucial biomarkers have yet been found. The aim of this study was to identify more accurate and less invasive screening methods using novel and robust biomarkers of skin cancers, instead of a visual skin examination and a biopsy. First, we performed the serum metabolomics as a diagnostic method for the four common types of skin cancers; actinic keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma, extramammary Paget's disease and melanoma. Sera from the patients with skin cancers and healthy volunteers (HV) were collected. The serum metabolomics was analyzed using gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC/ QqQMS). Next, the metabolites expressing remarkable changes statistically were selected for a principal component analysis. Furthermore, we identified what metabolites have usefulness for the distinctions between the skin cancer groups and the HV groups. Our results demonstrate that the serum metabolomics using GC/QqQMS has a possibility to identify the diagnostic biomarkers, leading to a novel therapeutic strategy.