UV Safety Awareness Month: Why the Future is Bright for Melanoma Immunotherapies

As the summer peaks and people around the U.S. and the world spend more time outside to soak in the sunshine, it is important to be aware of the dangers associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. These harmful rays most commonly impact the human body via direct sunlight. However, artificial sources such as heating lamps and lasers can also inflict harmful UV rays. For several decades, scientists have been studying the link between UV rays and DNA damage, which can lead to cancer occurrence. 

How UV Radiation Works 

UV rays are an invisible form of radiation that exist on the electromagnetic spectrum – just like X-rays and radio waves. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that UV radiation damages skin cells and can cause skin cancer. Additionally, UV rays can diminish the immune system’s natural ability to fight off chronic diseases, such as cancer. 

“Too much UV exposure damages the DNA,” said Ayana Ruffin, PhD, from Emory University. She is supported by the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship to Promote Racial Diversity. Dr. Ruffin’s research compares how genetic mutations in melanoma cases, which result from UV ray exposure, affect immune responses. “When this damage is not repaired it leads to mutations in the genes that control cell growth, leading to the development of cancers like melanoma.” 

There are over five million annual global cases of skin cancer, and a staggering 90% of diagnoses are a direct result of exposure to UV rays. While there are three main types of skin cancers, melanoma is considered the deadliest, despite accounting for less than five percent of cases. Specifically, melanoma is prevalent in parts of the body such as the face, head, and legs – areas that are exposed to sunlight more often.

Even though cancer caused by UV radiation is more common in people with lighter skin tones, everyone is susceptible. “A common misconception surrounding UV rays is that people who have darker skin tones don’t have to protect themselves from UV exposure. That is simply not true,” Dr. Ruffin clarified. “Everyone should use sunscreen to protect themselves.” 

Dr. Ruffin said the risk does not end by just applying sunscreen. “Tanning beds and other artificial sources of UV rays can also overexpose a person to too much UV radiation, so those should also be avoided.” 

Factors that Affect Your UV Exposure 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists several significant variables that can impact your exposure and potential vulnerability to UV rays: 

1. Geography – Your exposure to UV rays can vary significantly depending on your precise location on the globe. The ozone layer is thinner the closer one comes to the equator, and therefore, UV rays penetrate the atmosphere with greater ease there. Furthermore, snow, sand, pavement, and water are reflecting agents for UV rays, and areas where these surfaces are more prevalent often results in heightened exposure. 

2. Altitude – The higher one is above sea level, the thinner the atmospheric resistance there is to protect people from UV rays. 

3. Time of year – Seasonality impacts the amount of UV rays in a specific location. In the summer months, Earth’s angle in relation to the sun increases the amount of solar radiation. 

4. Time of day – When the sun is at its high point in the noon sky, UV rays have the least amount of physical distance to travel from the sun to Earth. The FDA recommends staying indoors whenever possible between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

5. Weather conditions – A common misconception is that a cloudy sky offers protection from sun damage. However, UV rays can penetrate cloud coverage and still act as a catalyst for melanoma and other skin cancers. 

CRI’s Impact on Melanoma Immunotherapy 

Although melanoma is still the most dangerous form of skin cancer, immunotherapy has opened new avenues of treatment in recent years. There are currently seven immunomodulators, one targeted antibody, and one oncolytic viral therapy the FDA has approved for melanoma treatment. These new treatments offer hope for melanoma patients, many of whom develop the disease due to prolonged UV exposure. 

Over the years, CRI scientists have made significant inroads in the fight against melanoma – from a monoclonal antibody that can reduce the progression of tumors and metastases to the creation of a nanotechnology that delivers immune-stimulating cytokines directly to tumor sites.  

Currently, several CRI scientists are working on novel melanoma immunotherapy research. From working on immunotherapies for mutated growth-related pathways that further cancer progression to preventing immune-cell exhaustion in T cells that fight cancer, these immunologists work tirelessly to make fresh discoveries that can improve patient outcomes. 

Despite extensive research on the link between UV rays and melanoma, there remains a need to effectively communicate the dangers of solar and artificial radiation to the public.  

Patrick Hwu, MD, CRI Scientific Advisory Council member and President and CEO of the Moffitt Cancer Center, emphasized in a previous CRI blog that melanoma immunotherapy has made significant advancements. 

“Many of my patients are living many years, having great quality time with their families, because we’ve learned to take the brakes off the immune cells and allow them to kill the melanoma,” Dr. Hwu recalled. 

Through awareness campaigns, taking steps to decrease our collective exposure to UV rays, and further developments in cancer immunotherapy research, we can alleviate the impact of melanoma and other skin cancers. In doing so, we can create a world immune to cancer.