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ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION ‐ INDUCED MALIGNANT MELANOMA IN Monodelphis domestica
Author(s) -
Ley Ronald,
Applegate Lee,
Padilla R. Steven,
Stuart Thomas
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1989.tb04123.x
Subject(s) - monodelphis domestica , melanoma , photolyase , ultraviolet radiation , marsupial , carcinogen , biology , lymph , pathology , hyperplasia , dermatology , cancer research , medicine , zoology , chemistry , genetics , dna repair , dna , radiochemistry
— Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is involved in the etiology of cutaneous melanoma in humans. However, progress in understanding the mechanisms involved in induction of melanotic tumors by UVR has been hindered by lack of a suitable animal model. During the course of multiple exposures (3 times/wk for 70 wk) of the South American opossum, Monodelphis domestica , to UVR, we first observed the appearance of areas of dermal melanocytic hyperplasia (MH) on the exposed skin. Post‐UVR exposure to photoreactivating light (320–500 nm) suppressed the occurrence of MH. We also observed at 100 weeks from first exposure that 10 of 46 surviving animals had developed melanotic tumors which arose, presumably, from areas of MH. Tumors on three of the 10 animals have been classified as malignant melanomas based on metastasis to lymph nodes. We conclude from these results that UVR can act as a complete carcinogen for melanoma induction and, based on the photoreactivation of MH induction, that DNA damage is involved in melanoma formation.