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Abstract:
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Malignant melanoma is cancer arising from melanocytes that have acquired the ability to metastasize and colonize secondary organs such as the lungs , liver , and brain . According to the Melanoma Research Foundation , malignant melanoma is the most rapidly increasing type of cancer with an annual incidence increase of ~ 4 % despite the therapeutic and medical breakthroughs in cancer treatment . Melanoma is the most common cancer in young adults ages 20 -30 , and it is the leading cause of cancer death in females ages 25 -30 . Non -modifiable risk factors include age , gender , and inherited predisposition to moles . As for modifiable risk factors , exposure to UV rays from the sun is well -established , but obesity has recently emerged as a factor through recent epidemiological and animal studies . Our results showed that obesity modulates the expression of the transcription factor Snai1 , which has been shown to be a key gene in the regulation of the Epithelial -to -Mesenchymal Transition (EMT ) . Serum from obese
ob /ob mice , as well as conditioned media from 3T3L1 adipocytes , increased the invasive ability of melanoma cells and the expression of the transcription factor Snai1 . Yet , the cytokine IL -6 may not be a critical component of obesity -mediated B16BL6 melanoma cell invasiveness . |