Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2025

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
Published on: September 7, 2013
Is Metabolic Syndrome a Risk Factor for Skin Cancer? A UK Biobank Observational and Two-Sample Mendelian
Emily A M Black1, Claudia Allemani2, Tom Dudding1
1University of Bristol Dental School, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Background:
Skin cancers are the third most common cancer worldwide, with incidence increasing. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities strongly associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. More than one in five individuals have MetS, and it is linked with at least 14 different cancers. This study aimed to investigate whether MetS is a risk factor for skin cancer.
Methods:
A prospective cohort study was conducted in the UK Biobank. The association between MetS and skin cancer was investigated using multivariable Poisson regression. To investigate causality, a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted using summary-level genome-wide association study data from the UK Biobank (MetS) and FinnGen (skin cancer).
Results:
A total of 467,919 participants were included; 26.7% had MetS. Follow-up was for up to 10.8 years. MetS showed a moderately sized protective effect on basal-cell carcinoma, whereas the effect for squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma crossed the null. Overall, MR found there was some weak evidence for increased odds of skin cancer in those with MetS [OR = 1.07 (95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.14)].
Conclusions:
The observational study identifies a moderately sized protective effect of MetS on basal-cell carcinoma with MR evidence suggesting a weak causal effect in the opposite direction.
Impact:
This study has found little-to-no effect of MetS on skin cancer despite links between MetS and at least 14 other cancers.
Related Concept Videos
Skin Cancer
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity
Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Psychoneuroimmunology: Diabetes and Cancer

![Chemical-Induced Skin Carcinogenesis Model Using Dimethylbenz[a]Anthracene and 12-O-Tetradecanoyl Phorbol-13-Acetate DMBA-TPA](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F60445.jpg&w=3840&q=50)