Malignant melanoma: social status and outdoor work

Abstract

Summary. The incidence of, and mortality from, malignant melanoma of skin in whites are strongly influenced by socio-economic conditions. Professional and administrative workers have the highest rates of all. Clerks and salesmen have higher rates than skilled manual workers, who have higher rates than unskilled workers.Women, when classified by the occupation of their husbands, show a similar relationship to social status.The biases of incidence data from systems of cancer registration, and mortality data from death certificates are different, and the consistency of the data from different periods and from different populations suggests that the relationship is real.The bulk of the data is from Britain, but there is sufficient from the U.S. to indicate that the effect is not restricted to one country.No consistent increase in risk was found in outdoor workers compared with indoor workers of similar socio-economic status.

Melanoma and other tumors of the skin among office, other indoor and outdoor workers in Sweden 1961-1979

“…In particular, such differences would not explain the contrast between office and non-offlce indoor workers within the same social class which have now been suggested by three studies (this one; Lee & Strickland, 1980;Beral & Robinson, 1981). However, the possibility that within each social class, patterns of sunlight exposure and experience of sunburn are different in office, other indoor and outdoor workers, could not be entirely ruled out.…”

“…It is more common in upper than in lower social classes (Logan, 1982;Lee & Strickland, 1980;Vager6 & Persson, 1984). It is not known why this is the case but it is usually assumed that this is due to different patterns of sun exposure and holiday travel.…”

“…It is not known why this is the case but it is usually assumed that this is due to different patterns of sun exposure and holiday travel. Several studies have discussed the relationship of melanoma to outdoor and indoor work (Lee & Strickland, 1980;Klepp & Magnus, 1979;Beral & Robinson, 1981;Cooke et al, 1984). Klepp & Magnus (1979) for instance hypothesised that outdoor work would indicate risk because it meant more exposure to the sun.…”

The relationship of malignant melanoma, basal and squamous skin cancers to indoor and outdoor work

“…This finding is particularly clear when data for a relatively homogeneous socio-economic group (social class III) are examined (Table IV). Although others have noted a high rate of all melanomas in office workers (Lee & Strickland, 1980), it has not been recognized before that this is because of an especially high rate of lesions on the unexposed parts of the body. Office workers contrast clearly with other indoor workers, who generally have below-average rates of melanomas, squamous-and basal-cell cancer.…”

“…In another case-control study Lancaster & Nelson (1957) found no such association. Analyses of vital statistical data consistently reveal high melanoma rates in professional and other occupational groups engaged in indoor office work (Lee & Strickland, 1980;Holman et al, 1980). In contrast farmers and fishermen have melanoma mortality rates below the national average, suggesting that working out of doors is not necessarily associated with an increase in melanoma.…”