BACKGROUND: Some melanomas form on sun-exposed body sites, whereas others do not. We previously proposed that melanomas at different body sites arise through different pathways that have different associations with melanocytic nevi and solar keratoses. We tested this hypothesis in a case-case comparative study of melanoma patients in Queensland, Australia. METHODS: We randomly selected patients from among three prespecified groups reported to the population-based Queensland Cancer Registry: those with superficial spreading or nodular melanomas of the trunk (n = 154, the reference group), those with such melanomas of the head and neck (n = 77, the main comparison group), and those with lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) (n = 75, the chronic sun-exposed group). Each participant completed a questionnaire, and a research nurse counted melanocytic nevi and solar keratoses. We calculated exposure odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to quantify the association between factors of interest and each melanoma group. RESULTS: Patients with head and neck melanomas, compared with patients with melanomas of the trunk, were statistically significantly less likely to have more than 60 nevi (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.15 to 0.79) but were statistically significantly more likely to have more than 20 solar keratoses (OR = 3.61, 95% CI = 1.42 to 9.17) and also tended to have a past history of excised solar skin lesions (OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 0.89 to 3.92). Patients with LMM were also less likely than patients with truncal melanomas to have more than 60 nevi (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.75) and tended toward more solar keratoses (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 0.88 to 5.16). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalences of nevi and solar keratoses differ markedly between patients with head and neck melanomas or LMM and patients with melanomas of the trunk. Cutaneous melanomas may arise through two pathways, one associated with melanocyte proliferation and the other with chronic exposure to sunlight.
BACKGROUND: Some melanomas form on sun-exposed body sites, whereas others do not. We previously proposed that melanomas at different body sites arise through different pathways that have different associations with melanocytic nevi and solar keratoses. We tested this hypothesis in a case-case comparative study of melanomapatients in Queensland, Australia. METHODS: We randomly selected patients from among three prespecified groups reported to the population-based Queensland Cancer Registry: those with superficial spreading or nodular melanomas of the trunk (n = 154, the reference group), those with such melanomas of the head and neck (n = 77, the main comparison group), and those with lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) (n = 75, the chronic sun-exposed group). Each participant completed a questionnaire, and a research nurse counted melanocytic nevi and solar keratoses. We calculated exposure odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to quantify the association between factors of interest and each melanoma group. RESULTS:Patients with head and neck melanomas, compared with patients with melanomas of the trunk, were statistically significantly less likely to have more than 60 nevi (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.15 to 0.79) but were statistically significantly more likely to have more than 20 solar keratoses (OR = 3.61, 95% CI = 1.42 to 9.17) and also tended to have a past history of excised solar skin lesions (OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 0.89 to 3.92). Patients with LMM were also less likely than patients with truncal melanomas to have more than 60 nevi (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.75) and tended toward more solar keratoses (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 0.88 to 5.16). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalences of nevi and solar keratoses differ markedly between patients with head and neck melanomas or LMM and patients with melanomas of the trunk. Cutaneous melanomas may arise through two pathways, one associated with melanocyte proliferation and the other with chronic exposure to sunlight.
Authors: Julia A Newton-Bishop; Yu-Mei Chang; Mark M Iles; John C Taylor; Bert Bakker; May Chan; Susan Leake; Birute Karpavicius; Sue Haynes; Elaine Fitzgibbon; Faye Elliott; Peter A Kanetsky; Mark Harland; Jennifer H Barrett; D Timothy Bishop Journal: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev Date: 2010-07-20 Impact factor: 4.254
Authors: Anne Kricker; Bruce K Armstrong; Chris Goumas; Peter Kanetsky; Richard P Gallagher; Colin B Begg; Robert C Millikan; Terence Dwyer; Stefano Rosso; Loraine D Marrett; Nancy E Thomas; Marianne Berwick Journal: Cancer Causes Control Date: 2010-08-19 Impact factor: 2.506
Authors: Christina A Clarke; Lisa M Moy; Susan M Swetter; John Zadnick; Myles G Cockburn Journal: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev Date: 2010-10-26 Impact factor: 4.254
Authors: Foteini Chatzinasiou; Christina M Lill; Katerina Kypreou; Irene Stefanaki; Vasiliki Nicolaou; George Spyrou; Evangelos Evangelou; Johannes T Roehr; Elizabeth Kodela; Andreas Katsambas; Hensin Tsao; John P A Ioannidis; Lars Bertram; Alexander J Stratigos Journal: J Natl Cancer Inst Date: 2011-06-21 Impact factor: 13.506
Authors: Gabriella M Anic; Vernon K Sondak; Jane L Messina; Neil A Fenske; Jonathan S Zager; Basil S Cherpelis; Ji-Hyun Lee; William J Fulp; Pearlie K Epling-Burnette; Jong Y Park; Dana E Rollison Journal: Cancer Epidemiol Date: 2013-03-21 Impact factor: 2.984