Instrumental Measurements of Skin Color and Skin Ultraviolet Light Sensitivity and Risk of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in an Italian Population

The authors evaluated objective measurements of constitutive skin color and ultraviolet light sensitivity in relation to risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Incident CMM cases (n = 183) were diagnosed between December 1994 and January 1999 at the Maurizio Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, Italy....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of epidemiology 2002-08, Vol.156 (4), p.353-362
Main Authors: Brenner, Alina V., Lubin, Jay H., Calista, Donato, Landi, Maria Teresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Case-Control Studies
CIELAB
CMM
Colorimetry
Commission International d’Eclairge 1976 Lab [colorimetric system]
cutaneous malignant melanoma
Dermatology
epidemiologic methods
Female
Humans
Italy - epidemiology
Male
MED
Medical sciences
melanoma
Melanoma - epidemiology
Melanoma - etiology
Middle Aged
minimal erythema dose
Risk Factors
Skin Neoplasms - epidemiology
Skin Neoplasms - etiology
Skin Pigmentation
spectrophotometry
Tumors of the skin and soft tissue. Premalignant lesions
ultraviolet
ultraviolet rays
Ultraviolet Rays - adverse effects
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Summary:The authors evaluated objective measurements of constitutive skin color and ultraviolet light sensitivity in relation to risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Incident CMM cases (n = 183) were diagnosed between December 1994 and January 1999 at the Maurizio Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, Italy. Controls (n = 179) were mostly spouses/partners of cases and were frequency-matched by age and sex. In addition to interviews, constitutive skin color and skin ultraviolet light sensitivity were assessed by colorimetry and minimal erythema dose (MED), respectively. Odds ratios were estimated using unconditional logistic regression. The odds of CMM increased by a factor of 1.20 (95 percent confidence interval: 1.12, 1.30) for each unit of skin brightness and by a factor of 1.24 (95 percent confidence interval: 1.07, 1.43) per 10 mJ/cm2 of MED. These associations were largely independent of phenotypic or sun-related characteristics and were modified by sun exposure. Increased risk of CMM was observed only among subjects with the highest levels of sun exposure. Epidemiologic studies of CMM may benefit from the inclusion of colorimetric and MED measurements along with traditional risk factors to obtain more accurate, quantitative, and objective information.
ISSN:0002-9262
1476-6256
0002-9262
DOI:10.1093/aje/kwf045