Archives of dermatological research
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Arch. Dermatol. Res. · Jul 2002
Increased expression of collagen types I and III in human skin as a consequence of radiotherapy.
To study the mechanisms of irradiation-induced fibrosis, the expression of types I and III collagen was analysed in radiotherapy-treated human skin. The subjects were ten randomly chosen women who had been treated for breast cancer with surgery and radiotherapy. The subjects ranged in age from 42 to 68 years (mean 53 years) and the time from treatment ranged from 7 to 94 months. ⋯ The number of cells containing type I and type III collagen mRNA was increased in the upper dermis of irradiated skin. Immunohistochemical staining showed the amount of PINP-positive fibroblasts to be increased in irradiated skin. We conclude that skin collagen gene expression is increased as a result of irradiation and this leads to fibrosis and thickening of the dermis.