title: Relative Importance of Traditional Risk Factors for Malignant Melanoma in the Czech Population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Czech Republic is one of the leading European countries in incident cases of malignant melanoma (MM), which is on the rise. The study objective was to assess the strength of associations between MM and the known generally accepted risk factors for MM in the population of the Czech Republic.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was designed as a case-control study where cases were incident cases of MM detected at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology of the Bulovka Hospital. Controls were selected from cancer-free patients admitted to departments other than Dermatology and Venereology. Validated questionnaires were used to collect demographic, epidemiological, and clinical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The binary logistic model shows the main risk factors for MM: male, female (OR=0.292, 95% CI=0.175-0.486), a changed mole (OR=6.371, 95% CI=3.774-10.756), a history of skin cancer (OR=95.704, 95% CI=37.241-10.756), and sunbeds use (OR=3.594, 95% CI=1.288-10.028). Using sunscreen products was considered as a protective factor against MM (OR=0.253, 95% CI=0.137-0.466).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The primary and secondary prevention increasingly emerges as a public health priority in the effort to reverse the negative trend in cases of MM and mortality from this disease in the Czech Republic. A prerequisite for an effective secondary prevention through screening is, among others, the identification of the population groups at highest risk for MM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Bulovka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.|Department of Epidemiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rajská
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Göpfertová
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Bulovka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hercogová
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Bulovka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jiráková
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Bulovka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.|Department of Epidemiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sečníková
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Bulovka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rob
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdeněk
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Šmerhovský
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: case-control study; incidence; malignant melanoma; questionnaire; risk factors; screening