Skin Cancer and Ultraviolet Radiation

Abstract

Abstract. A new model is presented for the calculation of the increased incidence of non‐melanoma skin cancer in Caucasians resulting from ozone reduction. The model postulates that the probability of first incidence of such skin cancer is distributed log‐normally as a function of total accumulated lifetime dose of harmful ultraviolet radiation. The effect on skin cancer incidence of an increase in harmful ultraviolet radiation due to ozone reduction can then be calculated directly from the extent to which each individual's lifetime accumulated dose is thereby increased. The result of such a perturbation, on average, would be to cause skin cancer to appear at a slightly earlier age. Since skin cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly, this shift to younger ages has the effect, when integrated over the entire population, of increasing the overall total incidence of skin cancer.

Environmental UV‐A and UV‐B Threshold Doses for Apoptosis and Necrosis in Humans Fibroblasts¶

“…The evaluation of UV‐A and UV‐B effects in human and animal skin is less ambiguous than in cells because of well‐defined end points that have been extensively studied (36–43). Erythema is an inflammatory response of the epidermis and dermis that acutely produces dilation of blood vessels and swelling of the skin and chronically produces hyperplasia and rearrangement of the skin architecture (44).…”

Ultraviolet radiation‐induced lipid peroxidation in liposomal membrane: Modification by capsaicin

“…Sunlight that reaches the earth's surface contains a large amount of ultraviolet light. Epidemiological and medical reports have indicated a significant relationship between skin cancer incidence and exposure to sunlight (Rundel and Nachtwey, 1978;Green and Medinger, 1978;Mandal et al, 1978;Mandal and Chatterji, 1980;Mefferth et al, 1976). They showed that UV light caused lipid peroxidation in human skin and that the products increased with increasing exposure to UV light or sunlight with advancing age.…”

Uv‐carcinogenesis

“…1). As a result, the values given by Rundel and Nachtwey (1978) came down to between 2.5 and 3.1; those by Beadle (1978) to between 2.8 and 2.9. The other values mentioned were not checked in peer review.…”

“…It is the biological amplification factor which is of most interest in the present connection; it will be denoted here by Ah, and values derived along various lines of reasoning will be summarized. Rundel and Nachtwey (1978) found values of Ab between 3.4 and 4.4 for non-melanoma skin cancer incidence in the USA. Beadle (1978) derived values between 4.0 and 5.1 for England and Wales.…”

“…Epstein (1983) concludes from Blum's dose-response relationship that reciprocity holds. Even quantitative models of UV-carcinogenesis were based on the assumption that reciprocity would hold (Rundel and Nachtwey, 1978;Beadle, 1978).…”