GALVESTON, Texas, Oct 15, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Researchers at the University of Texas have discovered a chemical found in a wild lily protects mice from the most common form of skin cancer.

The team from the university's Medical Branch at Galveston reported in Friday's issue of Cancer Research that cyclopamine reduced the number of basal cell carcinomas in mice genetically engineered to be susceptible to the cancer.

Jingwu Xie, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology, said the number of microscopic tumors was down 90 percent in the treated mice while visible tumors were reduced 50 percent.

About 800,000 residents of the United States are diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma each year, making it the most common form of cancer in humans.

Xie said cyclopamine, derived from a plant called the corn lily that grows in meadows in the western United States, had no noticeable side effects in mice. Because the compound works by breaking a single link in the chain of reactions leading to cancer development, he expects it to be far less toxic than other chemotherapies.

• More news on Skin Cancer

Related MedlinePlus Pages:

• Skin Cancer