Abstract
Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is the second most common cancer diagnosed before age 30. Little is known about potentially modifiable or intervenable risk factors specific to developing melanoma at a young age. The objective was to determine if high birth weight or higher early-life ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure would be associated with increased risk of melanoma in young patients. Methods: Population-based, case-control study of 1,396 cases of melanoma diagnosed before age 30 in 1988-2013 and 27,920 controls, obtained by linking cancer registry data to birth records in California. Results: High birth weight (>4,000 g) was associated with 19% higher risk of melanoma (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.39), while low birth weight (<2,500 g) was associated with 41% lower risk (OR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.43, 0.82), compared with normal birth weight (2,500-4,000 g); dose-response per 1,000 g increase was also evident (OR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.13, 1.36). All quartiles of birthplace UV greater than the lowest quartile were associated with increased melanoma risk. The strongest relation between birthplace UV and melanoma was for 15-19 years of age at diagnosis. Conclusions: High birth weight and high early-life UV exposure may be important independent risk factors for melanoma diagnosis before age 30. The implication is that adopting skin-protective behaviors as early as infancy could be important for primary prevention of melanoma in younger people. However, research that accounts for early-life behavioral patterns of skin protection during infancy is needed to advance our understanding of how birth weight and early-life UV may influence the development of early-onset melanoma.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 278-284 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Epidemiology |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2019 |
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Keywords
- Birthweight
- Case-control studies
- Pediatrics
- Records-based
- Registries
- Skin cancer
- Skin neoplasms
- Solar radiation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Epidemiology
Cite this
High Birth Weight, Early UV Exposure, and Melanoma Risk in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults. / Wojcik, Katherine Y.; Escobedo, Loraine A.; Wysong, Ashley; Heck, Julia E.; Ritz, Beate; Hamilton, Ann S.; Milam, Joel; Cockburn, Myles G.
In: Epidemiology, Vol. 30, No. 2, 01.03.2019, p. 278-284.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - High Birth Weight, Early UV Exposure, and Melanoma Risk in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults
AU - Wojcik, Katherine Y.
AU - Escobedo, Loraine A.
AU - Wysong, Ashley
AU - Heck, Julia E.
AU - Ritz, Beate
AU - Hamilton, Ann S.
AU - Milam, Joel
AU - Cockburn, Myles G.
PY - 2019/3/1
Y1 - 2019/3/1
N2 - Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is the second most common cancer diagnosed before age 30. Little is known about potentially modifiable or intervenable risk factors specific to developing melanoma at a young age. The objective was to determine if high birth weight or higher early-life ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure would be associated with increased risk of melanoma in young patients. Methods: Population-based, case-control study of 1,396 cases of melanoma diagnosed before age 30 in 1988-2013 and 27,920 controls, obtained by linking cancer registry data to birth records in California. Results: High birth weight (>4,000 g) was associated with 19% higher risk of melanoma (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.39), while low birth weight (<2,500 g) was associated with 41% lower risk (OR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.43, 0.82), compared with normal birth weight (2,500-4,000 g); dose-response per 1,000 g increase was also evident (OR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.13, 1.36). All quartiles of birthplace UV greater than the lowest quartile were associated with increased melanoma risk. The strongest relation between birthplace UV and melanoma was for 15-19 years of age at diagnosis. Conclusions: High birth weight and high early-life UV exposure may be important independent risk factors for melanoma diagnosis before age 30. The implication is that adopting skin-protective behaviors as early as infancy could be important for primary prevention of melanoma in younger people. However, research that accounts for early-life behavioral patterns of skin protection during infancy is needed to advance our understanding of how birth weight and early-life UV may influence the development of early-onset melanoma.
AB - Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is the second most common cancer diagnosed before age 30. Little is known about potentially modifiable or intervenable risk factors specific to developing melanoma at a young age. The objective was to determine if high birth weight or higher early-life ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure would be associated with increased risk of melanoma in young patients. Methods: Population-based, case-control study of 1,396 cases of melanoma diagnosed before age 30 in 1988-2013 and 27,920 controls, obtained by linking cancer registry data to birth records in California. Results: High birth weight (>4,000 g) was associated with 19% higher risk of melanoma (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.39), while low birth weight (<2,500 g) was associated with 41% lower risk (OR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.43, 0.82), compared with normal birth weight (2,500-4,000 g); dose-response per 1,000 g increase was also evident (OR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.13, 1.36). All quartiles of birthplace UV greater than the lowest quartile were associated with increased melanoma risk. The strongest relation between birthplace UV and melanoma was for 15-19 years of age at diagnosis. Conclusions: High birth weight and high early-life UV exposure may be important independent risk factors for melanoma diagnosis before age 30. The implication is that adopting skin-protective behaviors as early as infancy could be important for primary prevention of melanoma in younger people. However, research that accounts for early-life behavioral patterns of skin protection during infancy is needed to advance our understanding of how birth weight and early-life UV may influence the development of early-onset melanoma.
KW - Birthweight
KW - Case-control studies
KW - Pediatrics
KW - Records-based
KW - Registries
KW - Skin cancer
KW - Skin neoplasms
KW - Solar radiation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061037996&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85061037996&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000963
DO - 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000963
M3 - Article
C2 - 30499783
AN - SCOPUS:85061037996
VL - 30
SP - 278
EP - 284
JO - Epidemiology
JF - Epidemiology
SN - 1044-3983
IS - 2
ER -