The Occurrence of Melanoma and Its Relationship with Host, Lifestyle and Environmental Factors

Ancestry reported by white adults with cutaneous melanoma and control subjects in central Alabama

“…The present results support our hypothesis, and are also consistent with the association of cutaneous melanoma with Ireland, Scotland and "British Isles" ancestry, HLA-DR phenotypes, and estimations of a northern European somatic phenotype (eye color, hair color, amount of melanin in the skin) previously reported in white persons who reside in central Alabama [3,4,8,9]. The present observations also suggest that targeting white persons with relatively high "Celtic" or "British Isles" country of ancestry indices and HLA-DRB1*04 for cutaneous melanoma prevention and early diagnosis efforts would be an effective strategy to decrease the morbidity and mortality of this type of malignancy.…”

“…Previous studies reported that Celtic ancestry is a risk factor for cutaneous melanoma, particularly when people of Celtic ancestry inhabit areas of high flux of ultraviolet radiation [4,6]. Persons of Celtic ancestry usually have fair skin, eyes and hair of light color, poor ability to tan, and tendency to burn easily after sun exposure [4,6].…”

“…Persons of Celtic ancestry usually have fair skin, eyes and hair of light color, poor ability to tan, and tendency to burn easily after sun exposure [4,6]. Areas of the British Isles where persons have a high degree of Celtic ancestry include Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland [6].…”