Excess Of Melanoma Research Articles

Characteristics of patients diagnosed with both melanoma and renal cell cancer

Patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and malignant melanoma (MM) have an increased risk of additional malignancies. We identified characteristics of MM and RCC associated with a patient developing both cancers. A total of 147,656 cases of RCC and 225,548 of MM submitted to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 1973 and 2008 were analyzed. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for MM after RCC and vice versa. Clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between patients with RCC or MM only and with both cancers using multivariable proportional hazards and competing risks regression models. Overall 1,241 patients developed both cancers. The crude incidence rates of RCC in patients with a prior MM diagnosis and vice versa were 5.2 and 9.4 per 10,000 person-years, respectively. There was an excess of MM in RCC patients (SIR 1.45, CI 1.34-1.57) and of RCC in MM patients (SIR 1.34, CI 1.25-1.43). Median years from RCC to MM diagnosis was 4.3 (2.0-7.8) and from MM to RCC 4.7(2.3-9.9). Patients with a history of MM had more papillary RCC (10.2 vs. 4.8 %, p = 0.01) and were more likely to be female (25.9 vs. 20.5 %, p < 0.001). On multivariable analyses, ocular MM was independently associated with subsequent RCC (HR 1.76 CI 1.24-2.49), as were increasing age, and male sex. We confirmed a bidirectional association between RCC and MM. A history of MM was found to be associated with papillary RCC and advanced RCC. Ocular MM predicted an increased risk of RCC diagnosis. Further research is warranted into the mechanisms responsible for the association between RCC and MM.

Socioeconomic factors in cancer in Sweden.

It is well known that certain cancers have shown clustering in socioeconomic groups, but limited data are available on recent results and time trends in such clustering. We determined standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for cancer, adjusted for age, period, region, parity and age at first childbirth among men and women in 6 socioeconomic groups based on the Swedish Family-Cancer Database. Persons had to be identified with the same socioeconomic status in the census of years 1960 and 1970, or of years 1960, 1970 and 1980; the comparison group was all people according to the same censuses. Cancers were followed from years 1970 to 1998 or from 1980 to 1998. Both increased and decreased SIRs were found, and a consistent pattern emerged, although the overall SIRs for cancer did not differ much, the lowest being for farmers (0.85) and the highest for professional men (1.07) and women (1.11). At individual sites, manual workers were at risk of tobacco-, alcohol- and occupation- and human papilloma virus-related cancers and at a decreased risk at most other cancers. Manual workers and farmers showed an excess of stomach cancer; professionals had an excess of melanoma and squamous cell skin cancer. Male and female SIRs correlated highly for manual and blue-collar workers and for professionals. The overall population-attributable fraction for selected sites was 16.7% for men and 10.9% for women and it was highest, over 50%, for lung cancer in both genders.

Incidence of cancer among commercial airline pilots

OBJECTIVESTo describe the cancer pattern in a cohort of commercial pilots by follow up through the Icelandic Cancer Registry.METHODSThis is a retrospective cohort study of 458 pilots with emphasis on...

Incidence of cancer among workers in Norwegian hydroelectric power companies.

The goal of this study was to examine whether exposure to electric or magnetic fields is related to cancer. The study cohort consisted of 5088 men who had worked for at least one year between 1920 and 1991 for any of eight participating companies which produce and distribute hydroelectric power in Norway. The occupational exposure of these workers included extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields. Incident cancer cases identified from the Cancer Registry of Norway were analyzed on the basis of the standardized incidence ratio with the Norwegian male population as reference. The incidence of cancer was close to unity for the cohort. The standardized incidence ratio for lymphoma was below unity, whereas those for leukemia and brain tumors were similar to those expected. Calculated cumulative exposure to electric or magnetic fields was not associated with the incidence of leukemia or brain tumors, but an excess of malignant melanoma was shown for the highest category of magnetic field exposure. An analysis of combined possible exposure to oils containing polychlorinated biphenyls and exposure to magnetic fields or possible exposure to electric sparks gave standardized incidence ratios of 265 and 280, respectively, for the higher exposure category. These results do not support the assumption of a possible association between exposure to electromagnetic fields and leukemia and brain tumors. The possible association between exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls or magnetic fields and risk of malignant melanoma should be further evaluated in future studies.

Notification of workers about an excess of malignant melanoma: A case study

In January 1991, NIOSH completed a retrospective cohort mortality study of 3,588 Westinghouse Electric Corporation workers who had been engaged in the manufacture of electrical capacitors. The study evolved from a NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation, which was conducted at the request of the Indiana State Board of Health because of its concern about PCB exposures among the Westinghouse workers. Life table analysis revealed a fourfold excess of deaths due to malignant melanoma. Though the workers were principally exposed to PCBs, the available exposure data did not lend itself to constructing an exposure-response curve that could relate PCB exposure to development of malignant melanomas. This was further complicated by the lack of substantial corroboration from other studies of PCB-exposed cohorts. Because of the magnitude of the malignant melanoma excess and the fact that malignant melanoma is probably more amenable to treatment and remediation than most other cancers, NIOSH determined that notification of the individual cohort members was a prudent and necessary public health action. This article describes the notification process from the time the decision to notify was made through the postnotification period. It details the interaction between NIOSH, the former and current plant owners, the two labor organizations that represented the workers at the plant, and the recipients of the notification materials. Scientific and other issues surrounding this notification effort are also discussed. A number of lessons were learned about the notification process; these are described for the benefit of others who conduct notifications.

Cancer Incidence in an Area of Radioactive Fallout Downwind From the Nevada Test Site

Exposures in southwestern Utah to radioactive fallout (1951 through 1962) from atmospheric nuclear detonations at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) were followed by smaller exposures (1962 through 1979) from venting of underground nuclear detonations. The cancer incidence in a 1951 cohort (4, 125) of Mormon families in southwestern Utah near the NTS was compared with that of all Utah Mormons (1967 through 1975). There were 109 more cases of cancer than expected (288[observed]/179[expected]). Leukemia was most prominent early (1958 through 1966), with 19 cases, five times more than expected (3.6). The excess of leukemia persisted into the later period (1972 through 1980), with 12 cases observed, 3.4 expected. There was an increase in lymphoma. Excess cases of thyroid cancer appeared early and a notable excess appeared later (14/1.7). An excess of breast cancer was noted later (27/14). There were more cancers of the gastrointestinal tract than expected. There was an excess of melanoma (12/4.5), bone cancer (8/0.7), and brain tumors (9/3.9). A subgroup with history of acute fallout effects had a higher cancer incidence. That these cases can be associated with radiation exposures is supported by a comparison between groups of the ratio of cancers of more radiosensitive organs with all other types of cancer.