British researchers have found a puzzling link between a tendency to obesity and to develop skin cancer.
The research in Leeds has shown that a gene previously linked to obesity and over-eating is also linked to an increased risk of developing melanoma.
The researchers say different parts of the gene, known as FTO, are linked to the two problems.
The gene is known to be linked to appetite as well as metabolism – suggesting a possible psychological role as melanoma can be triggered by excessive sunbathing.
The researchers have reported their findings in the journal Nature Genetics.
The findings come from a comparison of samples from some 13,000 patients with melanoma with another 60,000 healthy people.
Researcher Dr Mark Iles, of the University of Leeds, UK said: "This is the first time to our knowledge that this major obesity gene, already linked to multiple illnesses, has been linked to melanoma. This raises the question whether future research will reveal that the gene has a role in even more diseases?
"When scientists have tried to understand how the FTO gene behaves, so far they’ve only examined its role in metabolism and appetite. But it’s now clear we don’t know enough about what this intriguing gene does.
"This reveals a hot new lead for research into both obesity-related illnesses and skin cancer."
Dr Julie Sharp, of Cancer Research UK, added: "These are fascinating early findings that, if confirmed in further research, could potentially provide new targets for the development of drugs to treat melanoma."
Iles, M et al. A variant in FTO shows association with melanoma risk not due to BMI. Nature Genetics 3 March 2013
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