Does intermittent sun exposure cause basal cell carcinoma? a case-control study in Western Australia.
Our report deals with the relationship of pattern and timing of sun exposure to basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in a population-based case-control study conducted in Western Australia in 1988. The main measure of intermittent exposure was based on the amount of exposure on non-working days relative to that over the whole week. Outdoor recreational activities, holidays and sunburn were also considered to be markers of intermittent exposure. We observed a statistically significant increase in risk of BCC with increasing proportion of weekly sun exposure obtained at the weekend, especially in late teenage (OR = 3.9, 95% CI 1.9-7.8 for maximum intermittency of exposure), exposure of the site of skin cancer during holidays (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.1 for the highest exposure quarter) and sunburn to the site (ORs of 1.8 for 3-10 and 1.5 for 11+ sunburns in a lifetime). Risk of BCC increased substantially with increasing intermittency in poor tanners but not at all in good tanners. Our data suggest that a particular amount of sun exposure delivered in infrequent, probably intense increments will increase risk of BCC more than a similar dose delivered more continuously over the same total period of time.
Kricker
A
A
International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
Armstrong
B K
BK
English
D R
DR
Heenan
P J
PJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011481:Protective Clothing; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D013471:Sunburn / Q000453:epidemiology; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents; D013997:Time Factors; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology
D013473:Sunscreening Agents