Solar ultraviolet (SUV) exposure is a major risk factor in the etiology of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). People commonly use sunscreens to prevent SUV-induced skin damage and cancer.

A new study published in Cells investigated the efficacy of eight commonly used FDA-approved sunscreen components against skin carcinogenesis.

In this study, FDA-approved sunscreen components were tested for their ability to block UVA or UVB irradiation. Thereafter, the efficacy of FDA-approved sunscreen components was investigated.

The results identified which FDA-approved sunscreen components or combinations are effective in preventing cSCC development. The findings suggested that sunscreen combinations that block both UVA and UVB significantly suppressed the formation of cutaneous papillomas and cSCC development and decreased the activation of oncoproteins and the expression of COX-2, keratin 17 and EGFR in solar simulated light (SSL)-exposed skin. However, several sunscreen components that individually blocked both, UVA and UVB, were ineffective alone.

Hence, the outcomes of this study provided new insights into the development of the best sunscreen to prevent chronic SUV-induced cSCC development. The results, including histology and tumor studies, demonstrated that FDA-approved sunscreen components alone or in combination—that block both UVA and UVB—are the most useful in preventing SSL-induced skin cancer.

Source: Cells. 2020 Jul 11;9(7):E1674. doi: 10.3390/cells9071674.