ArticleAnnals of dermatology2025
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Skin Cancer: Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.
Article in Annals of dermatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Decoding the Role of Lipid Metabolism and Membrane Dynamics in Melanoma.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The Role of Vitamins and Micronutrients in the Prevention of Melanoma: A Review of Current Evidence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundObservational studies have suggested associations between dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and cancer risk; however, causal inference regarding skin cancer remains limited due to potential recall bias, confounding, and reverse causation.
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the causal association between genetically predicted circulating PUFA levels and the risk of skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma.
methodsWe conducted a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study using genome-wide association study summary statistics from the UK Biobank (PUFAs, n=115,006) and the FinnGen consortium (BCC, n=26,272; SCC, n=4,663; melanoma, n=5,753). Genetic instruments were derived for omega-3, docosahexaenoic acid, omega-6, linoleic acid, and the omega-6:3 ratio. Multiple MR methods-including inverse-variance weighted, MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and MR-PRESSO-were applied to test for consistency and assess pleiotropy and heterogeneity.
resultsA higher genetically predicted linoleic acid to total fatty acid ratio was associated with a significantly lower risk of BCC and SCC. Conversely, higher genetically proxied serum omega-3 levels were associated with increased risks of BCC, SCC, and melanoma. The risk effect on SCC was attenuated upon exclusion of rs174528, a variant in the fatty acid desaturase 1 (
conclusionThis MR analysis supports a causal role of circulating PUFAs in skin cancer development and highlights the importance of FADS-mediated endogenous PUFA metabolism. These findings provide novel insights into the genetic and metabolic underpinnings of skin cancer susceptibility.
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Registered trials
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