Family History of Melanoma May Increase Risk for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers
A study by Wei et al in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology has found that individuals with a first-degree relative with a history of melanoma are at an increased risk for melanomas and keratinocyte cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
Methods
Researchers prospectively followed 216,115 participants from three studies for over 20 years. Cox proportional hazards regression controlling for known risk factors for skin cancer was used to estimate association between family history of melanoma and melanoma and keratinocyte cancers.
Findings
Those with a first-degree relative with melanoma had a 74% increased risk of developing melanoma (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.74; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.45–2.09), a 22% increased risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (HR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.06–1.40), and a 27% increased risk of basal cell carcinoma (HR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.12–1.44). Family history of melanoma increased the risk of melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma on the extremities in women. Truncal melanoma development risk was increased with a family history of melanoma across both men and women.
The authors concluded, “Individuals with a family history of melanoma are at an increased risk of melanoma and keratinocyte cancers.”
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jaad.org.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
