Gene For Skin Cancer Found, Scientists Say

A gene responsible for the most common type of cancer in humans has been found, two international teams of scientists reported Thursday.

When the gene is damaged by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, it can produce skin tumors, known as basal cell carcinomas, that afflict about 750,000 people in the United States each year.

Pale-skinned, middle-aged and older persons of Northern European ancestry are the most susceptible to these relatively harmless growths. If caught in time, they are easily removed with minor surgery or radiation.