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Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Denmark and it is mainly caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation of the skin not only causes DNA damage in skin cells, but it is also able to activate T cells that suppress the function of the immune system. The exact phenotype of these T cells is not known, but the mechanisms by which they are activated include: 1) Suppressed function of the Langerhans' cells, probably because of altered expression of co-stimulatory molecules; 2) induction of epidermal macrophages; and 3) an altered balance in epidermal cytokines, with increased levels of TNF-alpha and IL-10 and suppressed release of IL-12. The importance of a suppressed function of the immune system is stressed by the fact that patients with transplanted organs who receive immunosuppressive therapy have a markedly increased risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancer.

Plasma-apheresis is a nonspecific and wasteful intervention requiring the use of potentially infectious and expensive replacement fluids. Selective removal of the unwanted plasma component circumvents most of the problems. For selective binding and removal of plasma components adsorption methods based on the principles of affinity chromatography have been useful. The ideal adsorption column still does not exist, but the number of clinical applications is increasing. The results vary, but the treatment has been used with success in hypercholesterolemia, and in patients with hemophilia with antifactor antibodies and patients with antibodies directed towards HLA-antigens awaiting renal transplantation. In conclusion selective plasma component-apheresis is an improvement in some diseases as compared to conventional plasma-apheresis. The technique is still being improved but large clinical trials examining the effects of plasma-component-apheresis have not yet been published.