Omega-3 fatty acid intake and decreased risk of skin cancer in organ transplant recipients

Abstract

Purpose Organ transplant recipients have over 100-fold higher risk of developing skin cancer than the general population and are in need of further preventive strategies. We assessed the possible preventive effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake from food on the two main skin cancers, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in kidney and liver transplant recipients. Methods Adult kidney or liver transplant recipients transplanted for at least 1 year and at high risk of skin cancer were recruited from the main transplant hospital in Queensland, 2012-2014 and followed until mid-2016. We estimated their dietary total long-chain omega-3 PUFAs and α-linolenic acid intakes at baseline using a food frequency questionnaire and ranked PUFA intakes as low, medium, or high. Relative risks (RRs adj ) of skin cancer adjusted for confounding factors with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results There were 449 transplant recipients (mean age, 55 years; 286 (64%) male). During follow-up, 149 (33%) patients developed SCC (median 2/person; range 1-40) and 134 (30%), BCC. Transplant recipients with high total long-chain omega-3 PUFA compared with low intakes showed substantially reduced SCC tumour risk (RR adj 0.33, 95% CI 0.18-0.60), and those with high α-linolenic acid intakes experienced significantly fewer BCCs (RR adj 0.40, 95% CI 0.22-0.74). No other significant associations were seen. Conclusion Among organ transplant recipients, relatively high intakes of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs and of α-linolenic acid may reduce risks of SCC and BCC, respectively.

Effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on nutritional status and inflammatory response in patients with stage II-III NSCLC undergoing postoperative chemotherapy: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

“…Several studies have described that ω-3 PUFA results in beneficial health outcomes in various fields of medicine (20)(21)(22)(23). Evidence from in vitro trials, studies utilizing animal experimental models, and epidemiological analyses advocate the use of ω-3 PUFA for multi-targeted tumor therapy, which has consistently yielded comparable results in clinical trials (24).…”

The benefits and challenges of treating skin with natural oils

“…In addition, dietary supplementation with essential fatty acids has shown beneficial effects in the treatment of acne, atopic dermatitis, pruritus, psoriasis and skin ulcers [59][60][61]. Furthermore, supplementation with an omega-3 fatty acid was shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer in organ transplant recipients (patients who undergo transplant procedures have a very high risk of developing skin cancer) [62]. There has also been considerable interest in utilizing natural oils produced by the plant Cannabis sativa for the treatment of skin inflammatory diseases.…”

Daily Lifestyle and Cutaneous Malignancies

“…A high intake of omega-3 PUFA shows a substantially reduced risk of squamous cell carcinoma [ 148 ], and a high plasma level of EPA concentration is associated with a lower risk of squamous cell carcinoma [ 149 ]. Arachidonic acid intake has a marginally increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma [ 149 ].…”

“…Arachidonic acid intake has a marginally increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma [ 149 ]. On the contrary, those with high omega-6 fatty acid and α-linolenic acid intakes show a significantly lower risk of basal cell carcinoma [ 148 , 149 ]. A decreased risk of basal cell carcinoma is associated with a higher serum concentration of total omega-6, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid serum concentrations [ 150 ].…”