Epigenetics and cutaneous neoplasms: from mechanism to therapy

Abstract

Epigenetics encompasses heritable, reversible gene expression patterns that do not arise from mutations in genomic DNA but, rather, are regulated by DNA methylation, histone modifications, RNA modifications and ncRNAs; and epigenetic dysregulation is increasingly recognized as a mechanism of neoplastic disease progression as well as resistance to cancer therapy. This review article focuses on epigenetic modifications implicated in the progression and therapeutic resistance of common cutaneous malignancies, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, T-cell lymphoma and malignant melanoma, with an emphasis on therapeutic strategies that may be used to target such disease-associated alterations.