Demographic characteristics, pigmentary and cutaneous risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: A case-control study

Abstract

We conducted a case‐control study of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (SCC) in a cohort of people followed from 1987 to 1994. Subjects were residents of Geraldton, Western Australia, who were between 40 and 64 years of age in 1987. On 2 occasions, in 1987 and 1992, dermatologists examined participants for skin cancers. Subjects were also asked on several occasions about skin cancers that they had had treated. Migrants to Australia had reduced risks of SCC. Furthermore, people who migrated to Australia early in life or, equivalently, lived in Australia for a long time had a higher risk than immigrants who arrived later in life or more recently. People who had southern European ancestry had a much lower risk of SCC than other subjects, most of whom were of British or northern European origin. Among Australian‐born subjects of British or northern European ancestry, the skin's sensitivity to sunlight was strongly associated with SCC. The pigmentary traits of hair colour, eye colour and skin colour showed weaker associations. The degree of freckling on the arm was strongly predictive of risk. The risk of SCC increased strongly with increasing evidence of cutaneous solar damage and was most strongly associated with the number of solar keratoses. Our results show that sensitivity to sunlight and high levels of exposure to sunlight are important determinants of the risk of SCC. Int. J. Cancer 76:628–634, 1998.© 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Associations between Silicone Skin Cast Score, Cumulative Sun Exposure, and Other Factors in the Ausimmune Study: A Multicenter Australian Study

“…Individuals who were Australian-born (particularly compared with those born overseas and arriving in Australia after age 20 years) tended to have higher skin damage scores. This is consistent with the finding by English et al of a decreasing risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin with later arrival in Australia compared with Australian-born (26). In contrast to other studies, we found no association with smoking (12), body mass index (16), or intake of antioxidants (assessed by dietary supplement history; ref.…”

Cutaneous Markers of Photo-Damage and Risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin: A Meta-Analysis

“…However, with the exception of actinic keratoses, the associations were modest and the strength of association was similar to that found for self-reported cumulative sun exposure. This is in contrast with SCC where the presence of actinic keratoses increases risk by 30 to 40 times and telangiectasia and solar elastosis confer 3-and 6-fold increases in risk, respectively (46,52). These relatively lower associations with BCC might suggest that different patterns of sun exposure such as intense exposure are important.…”

Fatty Acid Composition of Red Blood Cell Membranes and Risk of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin

“…Sunlight is considered the main etiologic factor for SCC of the skin with wavelengths in the UV light B spectrum (UV-B, wavelengths between 280 and 320 nm) most associated with SCC risk (11). Although geographic comparisons of SCC data suggest that differences in UV-B exposure may account for some of the differences in SCC incidence, preventive agents, or enhancing factors may also be important (12).…”