Therapies for Xeroderma Pigmentosum

Imagine that you have a rare condition called xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) in which even the slightest amount of UV radiation from the sun turns your skin to cancer. Left untreated, you can expect to die within the first 10 years of your life. Also imagine that your brothers and sisters suffer from this same affliction, but your family lacks the resources to do anything about it. Dr. Bari Cunningham, a pediatric dermatologic surgeon at Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, journied through the wilderness of Guatemala to a small town where the autosomal recessive disease has dominated the local population and has cast a shadow on life in this simple village. In this segment hear about the fundamentals for the disease process, its prevalence both nationally and globally, and how experts approach XP patients in high- vs low-resource areas. Dr. Andrew Krakowski hosts.