Epidermal mutation accumulation in photodamaged skin is associated with skin cancer burden and can be targeted through ablative therapy. undefined

The main carcinogen for keratinocyte skin cancers (KCs) such as basal and squamous cell carcinomas is ultraviolet radiation. There is growing evidence that accumulation of mutations and clonal expansion plays a key role in KC development. The relationship between UV exposure, epidermal mutation load and KCs remains unclear. Here, we examined the mutation load in both murine and human epidermal samples.