Skin Cancer Causes, Symptoms & Treatment: Vitamin B3 Reduce Risks of Disease

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Inexpensive vitamin B3 pills may help curb the risk of getting skin cancer by almost 25 percent, according to researchers. The study will be presented during the Oncology Society's annual meeting in Chicago starting May 29.

The vitamin B3, called nicotinamide, is cheap and widely available in grocery stores as a nutritional supplement, according to New York Times. The drug was tested by Australian researchers on more than 300 people who have squamos cell or basal cell carcinoma skin cancer diagnoses - two of the most common non-melanoma skin cancers.

"It's safe, it's almost obscenely inexpensive and it's widely available," said Dr. Diona Damian of Australia's University of Sydney and author of the study.

"This one's ready to go straight into the clinic," she said in a news conference by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. However, she warns that the vitamins should only be used by people who are prone to skin cancers and not everyone.

The participants either took two doses of 500mg vitamin B3 pills or a placebo everyday for a year. The results showed that those who took the vitamin pills had 23 percent lesser risk to be diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancers, according to NBC News.

"This is the first clear evidence that we can reduce skin cancers using a simple vitamin, together with sensible sun protection. We hope that these findings can be immediately translated into clinical practice," Dr. Damian said. "However, people at high risk of skin cancer will still need regular check-ups with their doctor."

It is unclear how long the effect from taking the pills might last. According to The New Zealand Herald, the cancer risk rose again in patients six months after they stopped taking the vitamins.

Skin cancer often develops after many years of staying long under the sun. Symptoms of squamos cell skin cancer include scaly red patches, wart-like growths, and open sores that don't heal. Basal cell carcinomas in the skin may appear as raised red patches that might be itchy, small translucent bumps, and is best described as a fragile wound that will bleed after a minor injury, according to American Cancer Society.

Squamos cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma can be treated in a number of ways such as surgery, radiation therapy and cryosurgery. In the advanced of squamos cell cancer, lymph node dissection and systemic chemotherapy are the recommended treatments. While advanced basal cell cancer, taking the targeted drug vismodegib is recommended.