Abstract
A comparison of interview data on 595 patients with newly incident cutaneous melanoma, excluding lentigo maligna melanoma and acral lentiginous melanoma, with data from comparison subjects drawn from the general population, showed that melanoma risk increased in association with the frequency and severity of past episodes of sunburn, and also that melanoma risk was higher in subjects who usually had a relatively mild degree of suntan compared to those with moderate or deep suntan in both winter and summer. The associations with sunburn and with suntan were independent. Melanoma risk is also increased in association with a tendency to burn easily and tan poorly and with pigmentation characteristics of light hair and skin colour, and history freckles; the associations with sunburn and suntan are no longer significant when these other factors are taken into account. This shows that pigmentation characteristics, and the usual skin reaction to sun, are more closely associated with melanoma risk than are sunburn and suntan histories.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 24 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $10.79 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Elwood, J., Gallagher, R., Davison, J. et al. Sunburn, suntan and the risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma – The Western Canada Melanoma Study. Br J Cancer 51, 543–549 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1985.77
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1985.77
This article is cited by
-
Outdoor work and skin cancer incidence: a registry-based study in Bavaria
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health (2009)
-
Melanoma and sunburn
Cancer Causes & Control (1994)