Moisturizers Spur Skin Cancer in Mouse Study (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Common moisturizing creamshelped skin cancers spread and tumors grow in mice exposed to UVradiation, researchers at Rutgers University reported Thursday.

"These creams we tested have tumorigenic [tumor-causing capability]activities," said lead researcher Allan H. Conney, from the university'sSusan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research.

But, he added, "I need to emphasize that what we have done is only inmice. We don't know what the implications are for humans. But it doesraise a red flag that this is something that should be considered."

The report is published in the Aug. 14 issue of the Journal ofInvestigative Dermatology.

For the study, Conney's team exposed hairless mice to an extendedperiod of UV radiation, which induced non-melanoma skin cancer. Afterstopping UV treatment, they applied four different common brands of skinmoisturizers to the animals' skin five days a week for 17 weeks.

The researchers found that mice treated with skin moisturizers showedan increased rate of tumor formation. In addition, there were more tumorson the animals treated with moisturizers than on the mice that were onlygiven UV radiation.

The moisturizers used were Dermabase, made by Patrick Laboratories inMinneapolis; Dermovan, made by Galderma Laboratory Inc. of Fort Worth,Texas; Eucerin Original Moisturizing Cream, made by Beiersdorf of HamburgGermany; and Vanicream, made by Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc., inRochester, Minn.

Conney's group identified several ingredients in the moisturizers thatappear to enhance tumor growth.

"We took out a couple of ingredients and made a cream that turned outto be non-tumorigenic," Conney said. The resulting lotion did not increasecancer growth in mice exposed to UV radiation, the researchers found.

"We really don't know what ingredients in these creams are doing that,"Conney said. "There is a need to have the various companies test theircreams to see whether or not there is a problem."

Conney thinks that companies can modify their products to remove thiseffect. "I am sure there are creams on the market that do not havetumorigenic activities and some of them may have anti-tumorigenicactivity," he said.

Dr. Robin Ashinoff, a clinical associate professor of dermatology atNew York University School of Medicine in New York City, thinks thefindings are interesting but she said they may not apply to humans.

Drugs that have been implicated in growth in animals in the past do notalways have similar effects in humans, Ashinoff said.

"Certainly, the issue here is to protect yourself from that degree ofcontinuous UVB-induced priming for skin cancer by practicing good sunprotection and sunscreen use in the first place," she added.

"These moisturizing creams might act as an irritant or a promoter ofskin cancer in mice skin, but extensive study is needed before we advisepeople that their commonly used moisturizers can cause skin cancer,"Ashinoff said.

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