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PERIOCULAR HIGH RISK BCCS AFTER ADDITIONAL/PARALLEL INTAKE OF TORASEMIDE, MOXONIDINE AND MIRABEGRON: IMPORTANT LINKS
11Onkoderma - Clinic for Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatologic Surgery, Sofia; 2Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical Institute of Ministry of Interior, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Abstract:
The Nitrosogenesis of skin cancer is a modern newly introduced concept in medicine, mainly concerning melanoma, but also keratinocytic cancers such as basal cell carcinoma. The nitroso-contamination of more than 300 drugs worldwide and the permanent (relatively short-term) intake of mutagen-contaminated drugs could create serious prerequisites for the development of skin cancer. Retrospective but also prospective analyses following potentially contaminated polymedication with a heterogeneous type of nitrosamines in real patients are indicative of a causal connection rather than a sporadic association between 1) intake of a possibly nitrosamine-contaminated drug and 2) generation of keratinocytic skin cancer. The pathogenesis of high-risk periocular localized basal cell carcinomas was until recently shrouded in mystery as it was mainly and until now associated with 1) intake of phototoxic drugs and 2) intense exposure to UV radiation (without intake of drugs), 3) congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies, and 4) Goltz Gorlin syndrome or 5) Xeroderma pigmentosum. Nitrosamines/ NDSRIs within the framework of polycotaminated drug intake appear to be one reasonable additional explanation for the association between carcinogen intake and subsequent skin cancer development and progression, and a relatively short-term one at that. Recently published scientific data provide information on a new ability of some of the nitrosamines - namely that some of them are photocarcinogenic or genotoxic after activation with UVA radiation. We present 4 patients who developed high-risk periocular localized basal cell carcinomas of the skin after/within the intake of potentially nitrosamine-contaminated drugs. The presented data are confirmatory with respect to previously published scientific observations on the carcinogenic effects of valsartan, candesartan, bisoprolol, metoprolol, perindopril, lisinopril and amlodipine. The contribution of newly validated data concerning potential/actual carcinogenic/genotoxic activity in the article is also due to the following newly announced nitroso preparations: torasemide, moxonidine and mirabegron. The expansion of the ˝bases of the pyramid˝ determining the stability of drug related (Photo) Nitrosogenesis/ Carcinogenesis (in terms of skin cancer generation) is growing daily. Exogenously/drug-induced Nitrosogenesis and the subsequently triggered carcinogenesis are a completely new explanatory concepts concerning the pathogenesis of skin tumors that remained unanalyzed and hidden for decades. Until now. The official lack of 1) availability, and of 2) precise concentrations regarding nitrosamines in medicinal preparations, are some of the most unexplained acts of irresponsibility to end-users and remain for the moment without a definitive answer from either regulators and manufacturers respectively. Polycontamination of polymedication in polymorbid patients remains highly problematic, at least as a cofactor in the development and progression of keratinocytic cancers, and this in the short term. Recently published data but also data from the past are suggestive that nitrosamines in tobacco are pivotal in the development of acquired mutations in p53 and RAS oncogenes in humans and rodents. The same genes are also affected by mutations in keratinocytic cancer patients. The overlapping mutation patterns of UV radiation-induced mutations in target genes such as p53 and RAS with those caused by some nitrosamines is indicative of a synergism available in terms of gene toxicity or possibly photocarcinogenicity of the latter. What leads the scientific community to believe that the nitrosamines in drugs, similar in composition and carcinogenic potency, act differently, is unclear. The link between drug intake, nitrosamine contamination, generation of some acquired mutations and subsequent cancer development becomes more than obvious and logically conditioned. The thesis of the controlled spread of cancer sounds more than logical today because: whoever controls and regulates the spread of carcinogens/mutagens/nitrosamines is also able to control the occurrence and spread of skin cancer. The Pharmaco-oncogenesis of skin cancer is determined by exogenously mediated Nitrosogenesis or the permissive availability for certain nitrosamines in drugs worldwide.
Insights
Drug contamination with nitrosamines is linked to skin cancer development, including basal cell carcinoma. This highlights a new cause of pharmaco-oncogenesis, emphasizing the need for regulatory oversight of drug safety and contaminant levels.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Dermatology
- Pharmacology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Skin cancer, particularly melanoma and keratinocytic cancers like basal cell carcinoma (BCC), has complex etiologies.
- The role of exogenous factors, including drug contaminants, in cancer development is an evolving area of research.
- Previously known risk factors for BCC include UV radiation, immunodeficiency, and genetic syndromes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential causal link between nitrosamine-contaminated drugs and the development of skin cancers, specifically high-risk periocular BCC.
- To present evidence supporting nitrosamine intake as a significant cofactor in skin cancer pathogenesis.
- To highlight the photocarcinogenic and genotoxic potential of certain nitrosamines, especially when activated by UVA radiation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective and prospective analyses of patients with polymedication and histories of potentially nitrosamine-contaminated drug intake.
- Clinical case presentations of four patients who developed periocular BCC after or during the intake of suspect medications.
- Review and synthesis of existing scientific data on nitrosamine carcinogenicity, drug contamination, and genetic mutations (p53, RAS).
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests a causal connection between nitrosamine-contaminated drug intake and keratinocytic skin cancer development, beyond sporadic association.
- Four cases of high-risk periocular BCC are presented, temporally linked to the intake of drugs potentially contaminated with nitrosamines (e.g., valsartan, candesartan, bisoprolol, metoprolol, perindopril, lisinopril, amlodipine, torasemide, moxonidine, mirabegron).
- Nitrosamines/N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurities in drugs are proposed as a significant, relatively short-term factor in skin cancer development and progression.
- Overlapping mutation patterns in p53 and RAS oncogenes caused by UV radiation and certain nitrosamines suggest a synergistic genotoxic effect.
Conclusions:
- Exogenously induced nitrosogenesis via contaminated drugs represents a novel and significant factor in the pathogenesis of skin cancer.
- The lack of regulatory transparency regarding nitrosamine levels in medications is a critical issue impacting patient safety.
- Pharmaco-oncogenesis, driven by nitrosamine contamination in widely used drugs, offers a new paradigm for understanding and potentially controlling skin cancer occurrence.
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