Researchers said on Tuesday they have identified a gene that causes benign moles on the skin to become cancerous, a finding that could allow doctors to treat more effectively patients with early stages of melanoma.

A team of scientists lead by Dr. Rhoda Alani of Johns Hopkins University, found a gene known as Id1 that causes cancer cells to grow in melanoma. Id1 blocks a tumor suppressor gene that ordinarily keeps precancerous moles from progressing to melanoma or skin cancer.

Yahoo