Solar radiation: a possible etiological factor in malignant melaloma in Israel: a retrospective study (1960--1972).

Abstract

Both the incidence and mortality from malignant melanoma are rising rapidly in all countries in which they have been studied. Solar radiation has been incriminated as a possible cause for this trend and as a possible etiological factor in malignant melanoma. Israel is a subtropical country developed as a result of waves of immigration mainly in the last century from Europe, Asia, and Africa. To evaluate the role of solar radiation on the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma, 966 cases of malignant melanoma, diagnosed in the last 10 years, were evaluated. The incidence of malignant melanoma was found to be higher (34/million) among European-born Jews than among Jews who came from Africa (2.7/million) or Asia (4.4/million). Among European-born Jews of the same age and ethnic background, there was a definite higher incidence of the disease in those who stayed in Israel 20–30 years prior to diagnosis (58/million) as compared to those who stayed in Israel only two to five years prior to diagnosis (17/million). A higher incidence of malignant melanoma was found among agricultural workers in the Kibbutz settlements (54/million) than in the city (17/million) and among the residents of the coastal region (35/million) than in the mountains (20/million). The disease tends to manifest itself on the lower extremity in females (50%) and the trunk in males (30%). The preponderance of the disease to the lower extremity in females is higher in the 50–79 year age group (55%) than in the 0–19 year age group (41%), and is higher in females who stayed 20–30 years in Israel (61%) as compared to females of the same age and ethnic group who stayed in Israel only two to five years prior to diagnosis (49%).