Risk of subsequent cancer following invasive or in situ squamous cell skin cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Determine the risk of subsequent cancer following squamous cell skin cancer.


METHODS
Using computerized surgical pathology records and membership data from a health maintenance organization, we retrospectively identified 822 individuals with primary squamous cell skin cancer (SCSC) and 3662 comparison subjects matched for age, sex, race, residence area, and length of membership. Patients were included in the study if they had no prior history of cancer, and received at least one multiphasic health checkup and questionnaire (MHC). Patients were followed for subsequent invasive cancer up to 24 years, with a mean follow-up time of 7.8 years.


RESULTS
SCSC patients had a significantly greater risk [adjusted for body mass index (BMI) and education] for subsequent cancer overall (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) [risk ratio (RR) = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2-1.6], and for basal cell skin cancer (RR = 13.8, 95% CI = 8.8-21.9), digestive (RR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1-2.4), and genitourinary cancers (RR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0-2.0). An increased, but not statistically significant, adjusted risk (RR > or = 1.4) was also observed for lip, oral cavity, and pharynx cancer (RR = 3.9, 95% CI = 0.6-25.0); non-cutaneous squamous cell cancer (RR = 1.9, 95% CI = 0.9-4.4); and respiratory and intrathoracic cancer (RR = 1.4, 95% CI = 0.8-2.6). The addition of alcohol consumption, combined occupational exposure, marital status, and smoking history to the multivariate model did not materially change any significant positive associations with SCSC.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that patients diagnosed with SCSC may be at an increased risk of subsequent cancer at many sites, although several estimated risk estimates were within the limits of chance given no true association.
Efird
Jimmy Thomas
JT
Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5405, USA.
Friedman
Gary D
GD
Habel
Laurel
L
Tekawa
Irene S
IS
Nelson
Lorene M
LM
D000368:Aged; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000473:pathology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012306:Risk; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology