Genetically determined susceptibility markers in skin cancer and their application to chemoprevention.

Development of skin cancer is a result of interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Exposure to sunlight is an established cause of non-melanoma skin cancer as well as of melanoma. Other additional factors such as exposure to environmental chemicals (e.g., chimney soot, arsenic compounds), chronic irritation of the skin, viral infections and the immune status of the host may predispose to skin cancer. The high incidence of skin cancer highlights the need for development of more effective chemopreventive agents. This requires a better understanding of genetically determined host susceptibility, which is increasingly acknowledged as a major factor in the causation of skin tumours.