Hormone therapy and melanoma in women

• Published in: International journal of women's dermatology 2021-12, Vol.7 (5), p.692-696
• Main Authors: Hill, Madison S., Cartron, Alexander M., Burgoyne, Mary, Driscoll, Marcia S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: estrogen; hormones; IVF; Melanoma; menopausal hormone therapy; oral contraception; Review
• ISSN: 2352-6475; 2352-6475
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.06.005

•Melanocytes are known to respond to estrogen stimulation.•Knowledge of estrogen therapy in melanoma tumor behavior is essential to inform accurate patient prognostication.•There is limited evidence to suggest oral contraception and fertility treatments affect melanoma incidence.•The effect of menopausal hormone therapy on melanoma risk requires further investigation with multinational studies. Although primary cutaneous melanoma accounts for approximately 3% of all malignant skin tumors, it has the greatest contribution to skin cancer–related death. Sex-specific differences in melanoma tumor behavior have been described, and melanoma pathogenesis may be hormonally mediated. This review aims to summarize the literature to date regarding the effects of hormone therapy on melanoma in women. Women's exogenous hormone use has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Thus, we focus on studies investigating the associations between oral contraception, fertility treatments, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), and melanoma. Across hormone therapy types, there does not appear to be a well-established association between exogenous female hormones and melanoma incidence. However, MHT practices and formulations vary significantly across countries. Although MHT does not appear to increase melanoma risk in studies from the United States, conflicting results have been observed in Europe. Unopposed estrogen MHT formulations require further investigation to determine a clear pattern between hormone use and the development of melanoma.