Colorectal Cancer Coalition

History of NonMelanoma Skin Cancer Increases Risk for Other Cancers

People who have had a skin cancer other than melanoma have twice the risk of being diagnosed with a different cancer later on.  Even when melanoma is not included, increased cancer risk was significant.

Younger skin cancer patients, ages 25 to 44,  had the highest risk of a subsequent cancer with a risk more than two and a half times that of those without early skin cancer.

In the CLUE II study (Give Us a Clue to Cancer and Heart Disease), scientists followed a group of 19,000 people in Washington County, Maryland for 16 years.  During that time 769 were diagnosed with either basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer.

After adjusting for other risk factor for cancer, including age, smoking, body mass index, sex, and education, people with nonmelanoma skin cancer had twice risk of another cancer (relative risk 1.99).  Whether the skin cancer was basal cell or squamous cell made no difference.

Patients with skin cancer in the study were more likely to report having skin that burned easily instead of tanning and to have had more than 10 blistering sunburns.

Melanoma, lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers were diagnosed most often, but the study was too small to find out risks for individual cancer types.

The study had limitations in being confined to a single county in one state and consisting entirely of volunteers.  The researchers also pointed out that there might be bias in closer medical follow-up of patients who had skin cancer leading to detection of other cancers.

Anthony Alberg, Ph.D., and his colleagues concluded,

This community-based, prospective cohort study provides evidence for an association between an NMSC diagnosis and an increased risk of subsequent cancer, even after adjusting for individual-level risk factors.

SOURCE: Alberg et al., Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published early online August 26, 2008.

This news article was originally posted on August 30th, 2008 and was accurate at the time of publication. Since then, information may have changed or links may now be outdated. Please call our Answer Line 1-877-427-2111 for the latest information, or talk to your doctor before making any medical decisions.

Posted by Kate Murphy on August 30th, 2008
Tags: cancer risk, skin cancer

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