Issue 12, 2018

Ultraviolet radiation-induced immunosuppression and its relevance for skin carcinogenesis

Abstract

The realisation that UV radiation (UVR) exposure could induce a suppressed immune environment for the initiation of carcinogenesis in the skin was first described more than 40 years ago. Van der Leun and his colleagues contributed to this area in the 1980s and 90s by experiments in mice involving UV wavelength and dose-dependency in the formation of such tumours, in addition to illustrating both the local and systemic effect of the UVR on the immune system. Since these early days, many aspects of the complex pathways of UV-induced immunosuppression have been studied and are outlined in this review. Although most experimental work has involved mice, it is clear that UVR also causes reduced immune responses in humans. Evidence showing the importance of the immune system in determining the risk of human skin cancers is explained, and details of how UVR exposure can down-regulate immunity in the formation and progression of such tumours reviewed. With increasing knowledge of these links and the mechanisms of UVR-induced immunosuppression, novel approaches to enhance immunity to skin tumour antigens in humans are becoming apparent which, hopefully, will reduce the burden of UVR-induced skin cancers in the future.

Graphical abstract: Ultraviolet radiation-induced immunosuppression and its relevance for skin carcinogenesis

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
18 8 2017
Accepted
08 11 2017
First published
09 11 2017

Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2018,17, 1872-1884

Ultraviolet radiation-induced immunosuppression and its relevance for skin carcinogenesis

P. H. Hart and M. Norval, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2018, 17, 1872 DOI: 10.1039/C7PP00312A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements