Sun exposure and tanning beds might be the biggest risk factors for skin cancer, but they are not the only ones. Kidney transplant recipients have been linked to an increased risk for non-melanoma skin cancer following their transplant procedure. In new research funded by the Prevent Cancer Foundation, Dr. Andrew Bostom, alongside his wife, is studying the potential of nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3 available as an oral compound, to prevent such skin cancer in kidney transplant patients.
For many years, Dr. Andrew Bostom, a research physician and his wife, an academic clinical dermatologist and dermatopathologist, have worked with kidney transplant patients. Dr. Bostom’s research takes a look at the major health problems that kidney transplant recipients experience ranging from loss of kidney grafts to cardiovascular disease which can lead to death. These patients are also prone to aggressive, non-melanoma skin cancer. Dr. Bostom’s wife runs a specialty clinic for skin cancer management in solid organ transplant recipients, primarily kidney transplant recipients.
In recognizing the support of the Foundation for his research, Dr. Bostom said, “Ultimately, we hope our data will lead to the implementation of large clinical trials which definitively test the hypothesis that oral nicotinamide treatment reduces non-melanoma skin cancers in kidney transplant recipients and other patient populations at high risk for non-melanoma skin cancers. If successful, this would be very beneficial to patients.”
We look forward to work like Dr. Bostom’s alleviating the additional burden of skin cancer for patients with other health problems. We are eager to hear more from the lab of Dr. Bostom as they conduct this intriguing research to help Stop Cancer Before It Starts!™
No Comments