Epidermal mutation accumulation in photodamaged skin is associated with skin cancer burden and can be targeted through ablative therapy

The main carcinogen for keratinocyte skin cancers (KCs) such as basal and squamous cell carcinomas is ultraviolet (UV) radiation. There is growing evidence that accumulation of mutations and clonal expansion play a key role in KC development. The relationship between UV exposure, epidermal mutation load, and KCs remains unclear. Here, we examined the mutation load in both murine ( n = 23) and human ( n = 37) epidermal samples. Epidermal mutations accumulated in a UV dose–dependent manner, and this mutation load correlated with the KC burden. Epidermal ablation (either mechanical or laser induced), followed by spontaneous healing from underlying epithelial adnexae reduced the mutation load markedly in both mouse ( n = 8) and human ( n = 6) clinical trials. In a model of UV-induced basal cell carcinoma, epidermal ablation reduced incident lesions by >80% ( n = 5). Overall, our findings suggest that mutation burden is strongly associated with KC burden and represents a target to prevent subsequent KCs.