Comparison of risk patterns in carcinoma and melanoma of the skin in men: a multi-centre case–case–control study

Abstract

We directly compared risk factors between 214 histologically confirmed melanomas (CMM), 215 basal-cell carcinomas (BCC) and 139 squamous-cell carcinomas (SCC) in a multiple case -case -control study with 349 controls from patients without dermatological disease admitted to the same hospitals. Subjects with fair hair had a significant risk increase for all types of tumours at a comparable level (OR adj for blonde hair: CMM 2.3; SCC 2.4; BCC 2.3). The effect of pale eyes was significant and similar for CMM and BCC (OR adj 2.6). Intermittent sun exposure measured in hours spent at beach during holidays was significant for both CMM (OR adj 2.6 for more than 7000 lifelong hours) and BCC (OR adj 2.1 for more than 7000 lifelong hours), while SCC exhibited a significant risk increase for chronic exposure to sunlight measured in hours of outdoor work (OR adj 2.2 for more than 6000 lifelong hours). In the case -case comparison using a multinomial logistic regression model, we found a statistically significant risk difference for pale eyes, and number of naevi in the CMM group, compared to other skin cancers. For intermittent sun exposure, there was a significant risk difference of BCC when compared to the risk of SCC. Factors influencing risk of SCC are different, with chronic exposure to sun playing a major role in causing this type of carcinoma.

Known and potential new risk factors for skin cancer in European populations: a multicentre case-control study

“…7,37 Rosso et al 37 observed risks for BCC and CMM associated with skin type ⁄tendency to sunburn that were comparable with those observed here, but whereas Rosso et al showed an increased risk associated with childhood sunburn only for CMM, we found increased risk for all three types of skin cancer, with OR of about 2AE5-fold increased in multivariate analyses. Similar to other studies, 37,38 we observed no increased risk for CMM related to outdoor occupation in multivariate analyses, but we did observe increased risks for SCC and BCC with outdoor occupation in line with some 38,39 but not all 37 previous studies. Many commonly used drugs may increase cutaneous photosensitivity and some have been shown to increase skin cancer risk.…”

Vitamin D and sun protection: The impact of mixed public health messages in Australia

“…12 For squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in particular, the risk increases linearly with total sun exposure. [13][14][15][16] In Australia, the lifetime risk of developing melanoma or nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is 1 in 30 17 and 1 in 2, 18 respectively. This high risk is reflective of high levels of UV exposure in a predominantly fair-skinned population.…”

Body Site Distribution and Relative Tumor Density of Different Human Cutaneous Malignancies with Emphasis on Sunlight Exposure: A Single Institution Experience

“…Despite undisputed association between UVR exposure and cutaneous neoplasms, an exact relationship between the amount, pattern, and timing of exposure to UVR and the subsequent development of specific skin malignancies is not yet fully understood. Popular belief is that a crucial factor for the formation of SCC is cumulative lifetime sun exposure, while it is less important for the development of BCC, in which an intermittent solar exposure rather than chronic one may be more prejudicial etiologic determinant [1,[18][19][20]. Even association between morphologic markers of cutaneous photodamage and an increased risk of BCC has been proven only moderate [21].…”

“…Even association between morphologic markers of cutaneous photodamage and an increased risk of BCC has been proven only moderate [21]. As for cutaneous MM, an intermittent intense sun exposure was shown to play considerable role as risk factor, whereas a high occupational sun exposure seemed to be inversely associated to MM development [1,18,20,[22][23][24]. As a consequence, individual cancer types have different predominant anatomic locations.…”