Skin cancer risk increased along with tanning bed use

Issue: December 10, 2011

AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research

There was a dose-response effect linked to the risk for three common skin cancers and the number of visits to a tanning bed, and the risk was greatest for those who started tanning in high school or college, according to results from an analysis of the Nurses' Health Study II.

The results were presented at the 2011 AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in Boston.

Researchers conducted a cohort study of 73,494 nurses who participated in the study from 1989 to 2009 and found that the risk for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma increased 15% and risk for melanoma increased 11% with every four uses of an indoor tanning bed. The follow-up was 20 years.

Researchers observed 5,526 cases of basal cell carcinoma, 400 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 348 cases of melanoma during the follow-up period. Multivariate analysis showed that in using a tanning bed one time per year, the HR was 1.04 for basal cell (95% CI, 1.03-1.05), 1.05 for squamous cell (95% CI, 1.02-1.08) and 1.03 for melanoma (95% CI, 0.995-1.06).

There was a significant increased risk for those who used tanning beds one time per year during high school and/or college (HR=1.10; 95% CI, 1.08-1.12) compared with patients aged 25 to 35 years who tanned one time per year (HR=1.06; 95% CI, 1.04-1.07).

For those who visited a tanning bed more than six times per year, the HR for basal cell was 1.35 (95% CI, 1.23-1.49) for the 22- to 35-year-old cohort and 1.82 (95% CI, 1.60-2.08) for those who used tanning beds during high school and/or college.

For more information:

Zhang M. #B86. Presented at: the 2011 AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; Oct. 22-25, 2011; Boston.

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