Cutaneous factors related to the risk of malignant melanoma

Abstract

In a case-control study, 287 women with malignant melanoma were compared with 574 age-matched controls. Red hair colour at age 5 years was associated with a tripling of risk [relative risk (RR) = 3.0], blonde hair with a 60% increase (RR = 1.6) and fair skin with a doubling (RR = 2.1). Women with melanoma also reported that they tended to burn (RR = 1.4) and to freckle (RR = 1.9) after exposure to sunlight. Since fair skin, red hair, and the tendency to burn or freckle after exposure to sunlight all cluster in the same individuals, the extent to which each of these factors had an independent influence on susceptibility to melanoma was investigated. Hair colour, especially red hair, proved to be the major determinant, followed by skin colour. The reporting of above average numbers of naevi on the body was as strong a predictor of melanoma as was red hair colour (RR = 3.4). A history of psoriasis was also more common in cases than controls (RR = 3.0) as was a history of vitiligo (RR = 1.8). A history of acne appeared to be protective (RR = 0.4) as did a history suggestive of chloasma (RR = 0.6) and premature greying of the hair (RR = 0.6). These relationships were irrespective of hair and skin colour.

Oral contraceptive use and malignant melanoma in Australia

“…All studies which have examined for an association with long term pill use or for a possible (Beral et al, 1983). Both these factors are widely accepted as being important determinants of melanoma.…”

“…Roughly similar relationships were found for "new" cases and "old" cases, as is shown in Table II, and so most analyses pool the two groups. Our other analyses of these data have related melanoma to a number of factors (Beral et al, 1982(Beral et al, , 1983. We therefore stratified the findings for oral contraceptives by a large number of possible confounding factors.…”

Epidemiologic Evidence for Different Roles of Ultraviolet A and B Radiation in Melanoma Mortality Rates

“…People with fair skin are more likely than those with more pigmented skin to experience erythema, edema, and skin discomfort after solar exposure (28,29), and they are more likely to develop melanoma than those with darker skin (30,31).…”

Malignant melanoma in relation to moles, pigmentation, and exposure to fluorescent and other lighting sources

“…Several studies have shown strong associations between malignant melanoma and variously defined benign pigmented lesions. These have been defined and assessed in several ways, varying from simply asking the subjects whether or not they thought that they had more than the average number of naevi on their whole body (Beral et al, 1983), having a lay interviewer assess the number of raised naevi on a readily accessible site, the arm (Holman & Armstrong, 1984a) and a careful full body examination with counts of moles by dermatologists (Swerdlow et al, 1984). The increased risks of melanoma in subjects with naevi or moles are high enough to suggest that these lesions could have practical value in identifying high risk subjects.…”