Scientists have made a major skin cancer breakthrough which it is hoped could save thousands of lives each year.

科学家在皮肤癌领域取得了一项重大突破，人们希望这一突破每年能挽救数千人的生命。

A tiny molecule that usually helps regulate gene activity has also been shown to drive the growth of the deadly cancer by allowing tumours to evade attacks by the body's immune system, according to the new study. The gene, named HOXD13, is a key factor in melanoma growth, said study lead investigator Pietro Berico, and also suppresses the T cell response needed to fight the cancer - allowing it to spread to other parts of the body.

一项最新研究表明，一种通常有助于调控基因活性的微小分子， 还被发现能通过让肿瘤躲避机体免疫系统的攻击，从而推动致命性癌症的生长。 研究首席研究员皮埃特罗·贝里科称，名为HOXD13的基因是黑色素瘤生长的关键因素， 它还会抑制对抗癌症所需的T细胞反应，从而使癌症扩散到身体其他部位。

Skin cancer kills approximately 2,500 people per year in the UK, and over 8,000 in the US - but researchers hope that they will soon be able to develop inhibitor medicines that tackle melanoma at a molecular level.

在英国，皮肤癌每年导致约2500人死亡， 在美国则超过8000人——但研究人员希望，他们很快就能开发出在分子层面治疗黑色素瘤的抑制剂药物。

Pietro Berico, a postdoctoral research fellow at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine and Perlmutter Cancer Centre, said: "Our study provides new evidence that transcription factor HOXD13 is a potent driver of melanoma growth and that it suppresses the T cell activity needed to fight the disease."

纽约大学格罗斯曼医学院和珀尔马特癌症中心的博士后研究员皮埃特罗·贝里科表示： “我们的研究提供了新证据，表明转录因子HOXD13是黑色素瘤生长的强力驱动因素，并且它会抑制对抗该疾病所需的T细胞活性。”

Dr Hernando-Monge, a professor in the Department of Pathology and a senior investigator in the study, said separate clinical trials are already underway to evaluate the safety, dose tolerance, and effectiveness of inhibitor medications to fight melanoma and other cancers. Some of the trials combined one of the inhibitors with another form of existing immunotherapy - drugs that use the immune system to attack cancer.

病理学系教授、该研究高级研究员埃尔南多-蒙赫博士称， 目前已有单独的临床试验正在进行， 以评估抑制剂药物治疗黑色素瘤和其他癌症的安全性、剂量耐受性和有效性。 部分试验将其中一种抑制剂与另一种现有的免疫疗法（即利用免疫系统攻击癌症的药物）相结合。

"This data supports the combined targeting of angiogenesis and adenosine-receptor pathways as a promising new treatment approach for HOXD13-driven melanoma," she said. For the study, researchers analysed tumours from over 200 melanoma patients living in the US Brazil, and Mexico to see what genetic pathways were elevated or suppressed, with HOXD13 among the ones that stood out in the results.

她说： “这些数据支持将同时靶向血管生成和腺苷受体通路，作为治疗HOXD13驱动型黑色素瘤的一种有前景的新方法。” 在这项研究中，研究人员分析了来自美国、巴西和墨西哥200多名黑色素瘤患者的肿瘤， 以查看哪些基因通路被激活或抑制，结果发现HOXD13是其中较为突出的一个。

Further experiments in mice and human melanoma cell lines showed that HOXD13 also drove angiogenesis - the formation of new blood vessels by tumours - and evasion from the immune system. Tests involving inhibition of HOXD13, VEGF, and adenosine went on to show that HOXD13 was key to the cancer's growth and survival.

在老鼠和人类黑色素瘤细胞系中进行的进一步实验表明，HOXD13还会促进肿瘤血管生成（即肿瘤形成新血管），并使肿瘤逃避免疫系统。 对HOXD13、血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）和腺苷进行抑制的测试进一步表明，HOXD13是癌症生长和存活的关键。

What are the symptoms of melanoma skin cancer?

黑色素瘤皮肤癌有哪些症状？

The main symptom of melanoma skin cancer is a new mole or an existing mole that changes in size, shape, or colour, according to the NHS. These may present in different shades of brown, black, red, or blue.

据英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）称，黑色素瘤皮肤癌的主要症状是出现新痣或现有痣的大小、形状或颜色发生变化。 这些痣可能呈现棕色、黑色、红色或蓝色的不同色调。

Key warning signs include moles with uneven edges, multiple colours, or those that are itchy, inflamed, or bleeding. You should make an appointment with your GP if you notice any unusual or changing spots on your skin.

关键预警信号包括边缘不整齐、有多种颜色，或发痒、发炎、出血的痣。 如果你发现皮肤上有任何异常或变化的斑点，应预约看全科医生。

In Britain, most skin cancer diagnoses - approximately 90% - are for non-melanoma skin cancer, which is usually caused by ultraviolet light. The main types are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

在英国，约90%的皮肤癌诊断为非黑色素瘤皮肤癌，这种癌症通常由紫外线引起。 主要类型是基底细胞癌（BCC）和鳞状细胞癌（SCC）。

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