Reduced melanoma after regular sunscreen use: randomized trial follow-up
- PMID: 21135266
- DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2010.28.7078
Reduced melanoma after regular sunscreen use: randomized trial follow-up
Abstract
Purpose: Regular sunscreen use prevents cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma long term, but the effect on melanoma is highly controversial. We evaluated whether long-term application of sunscreen decreases risk of cutaneous melanoma.
Participants and methods: In 1992, 1,621 randomly selected residents of Nambour, a township in Queensland, Australia, age 25 to 75 years, were randomly assigned to daily or discretionary sunscreen application to head and arms in combination with 30 mg beta carotene or placebo supplements until 1996. Participants were observed until 2006 with questionnaires and/or through pathology laboratories and the cancer registry to ascertain primary melanoma occurrence.
Results: Ten years after trial cessation, 11 new primary melanomas had been identified in the daily sunscreen group, and 22 had been identified in the discretionary group, which represented a reduction of the observed rate in those randomly assigned to daily sunscreen use (hazard ratio [HR], 0.50; 95% CI, 0.24 to 1.02; P = .051). The reduction in invasive melanomas was substantial (n = 3 in active v 11 in control group; HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.97) compared with that for preinvasive melanomas (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.29 to 1.81).
Conclusion: Melanoma may be preventable by regular sunscreen use in adults.
Comment in
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Sunscreen and melanoma: what is the evidence?J Clin Oncol. 2011 Jan 20;29(3):249-50. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2010.31.7529. Epub 2010 Dec 6. J Clin Oncol. 2011. PMID: 21135278 No abstract available.
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Is sunscreen use for melanoma prevention valid for all sun exposure circumstances?J Clin Oncol. 2011 May 10;29(14):e425-6; author reply e427. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2010.34.4275. Epub 2011 Apr 4. J Clin Oncol. 2011. PMID: 21464415 No abstract available.
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Increased melanoma after regular sunscreen use?J Clin Oncol. 2011 Jun 20;29(18):e557-8; author reply e859. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2011.35.5727. Epub 2011 May 2. J Clin Oncol. 2011. PMID: 21537031 No abstract available.
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ACP journal club. Regular sunscreen use reduces invasive but not overall melanoma in white adults.Ann Intern Med. 2011 May 17;154(10):JC5-12. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-154-10-201105170-02012. Ann Intern Med. 2011. PMID: 21576530 No abstract available.
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A prospective randomized controlled trial indicates that sunscreen use reduced the risk of developing melanoma.Arch Dermatol. 2011 Jul;147(7):853-4. doi: 10.1001/archdermatol.2011.171. Arch Dermatol. 2011. PMID: 21768486 No abstract available.
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