Vitamin supplement may reduce skin cancer

A new Australian study suggests a vitamin supplement may reduce a person’s risk for skin cancer. Australian researchers have found that form of vitamin B3, called nicotinamide, may decrease non-melanoma skin cancers by 23 percent. The supplement was shown to reduce non-melanoma skin cancers when taken twice a day. 

Senior study author Dr. Diona Damian, a professor of dermatology at the University of Sydney says: "It's safe, it's almost obscenely inexpensive, and it's already widely commercially available.” Nicotinamide costs less than $10 for a 30-day supply and can be found at pharmacies and health food stores.

Skin cancer key statistics:

• Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S.
• 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their life.
• Every year, there are about 3.5 million cases of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell skin cancer are diagnosed.
• It is estimated that in 2015, melanoma (a more severe type of skin cancer) will account for more than 73,000 cases of skin cancer.
• Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer combined.
• 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their life.
• About 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers are caused by excessive sun exposure (ultraviolet radiation).
• Actinic keratosis is the most common precancer; it affects more than 58 million Americans.
• 40-50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma at least once in their life.

Risk Factors for Skin Cancer

The major risk factors for skin cancer include having fair skin/lighter natural skin color, moles, a family history of skin cancer or a personal history of skin cancer, ultraviolet (UV) light exposure from the sun, or indoor tanning. (UV radiation is a proven human carcinogen), a history of sunburns, skin that burns easily, gets red easily, or becomes painful in the sun, freckles, and being male.

Most skin cancers are caused by ultraviolet rays from excessive sun exposure which damage the DNA of skin cells. Too much UV radiation also inhibits the body's ability to fight cancer because it suppresses the skin’s immune system and the skin cells are depleted of the energy it needs to repair damaged DNA.

Skin Cancer and Vitamins

For the study, the researchers recruited about 400 patients who were considered high-risk for skin cancer and who previously had at least two non-melanoma skin cancers within the last five years. The majority of the study participants were men (two-thirds) and everyone in the study was an average age of 66 years old. Many of the participants also had chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, high blood pressure, or arthritis.

During the study, half of the participants took nicotinamide two times a day for one year. The other half of the participants took a placebo. To monitor the group, dermatologists checked them all for skin cancer every three months.

The results showed that those who were taking nicotinamide saw benefits rather quickly. According to Dr. Damian, "This reduction in skin cancers seemed to start as early as the first three-month visit." At the end of the study, the researchers found that new non-melanoma skin cancer rates decreased by 23 percent in the group taking nicotinamide, compared to the group taking the placebo.

Nicotinamide also reduced the amount pre-cancers, otherwise known as actinic keratosis. These are abnormal skin patches that can turn in to skin cancer. Among the group that took nicotinamide, these were reduced by 11 percent after three months of treatment, and by 20 percent after nine months of treatment.

Unfortunately, the benefits seen with nicotinamide did not last. While the researchers were following up with the study participants, they noted that the benefits in fact stopped. This suggests that the vitamin supplement may have to be taken for longer than just a period of time, or one may not be able to stop taking them at all. According to Dr. Damian, "When people stopped taking their tablets after 12 months, the benefit was no longer seen. In other words, you need to continue taking the tablets in order for them to be effective."

Researchers say that more studies are needed before they can say whether the supplement would be beneficial to recommend to people. Dr. Damian said, "It's not something we'd recommend at this stage for the general population.”