title: Heterogeneity in host risk factors for incident melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer in a cohort of US women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) are 3 types of skin cancer that have distinct biologic characteristics and prognoses. We evaluated phenotypic differences in the risk of these cancers in US women.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a prospective study of 113 139 female nurses from 1984 to 2002. Over the 18 years of follow-up, there were 375 cases of melanoma, 495 cases of SCC, and 9423 cases of BCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with melanoma were more likely to have a family history of melanoma (melanoma: RR 1.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36-2.76; SCC: RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.58-1.37; BCC: RR 1.49, 95% CI 1.38-1.62) and 6 or more moles on the left arm (melanoma: RR 3.66, 95% CI 2.15-6.24; SCC: RR 1.53, 95% CI 0.83-2.79; BCC: RR 1.48, 95% CI 1.28-1.72). Polytomous logistic regression analysis showed that age at diagnosis (P < 0.0001), family history of melanoma (P = 0.016), and number of moles on the left arm (P = 0.007) were significantly different across the 3 cancers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This prospective observational study demonstrated that known phenotypic factors for skin cancer have a differential impact on the risk of melanoma, SCC, and BCC.
authors.affiliation: Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. aqureshi@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Abrar A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Mingfeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jiali
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology