A new study by US researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine finds white people who have types of skin cancer other than melanoma (non-melanoma skin cancer) may be at increased risk of having other forms of cancer in the future.
The analysis, led by Dr. Jiali Han, an Associate Professor from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School in the US, found that men and women with a history of non-melanoma skin cancers—the most common form of cancer in the United States and includes basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma—had a 15% and 26% increased risk, respectively, of developing another form of cancer compared with those who had no such history.
Importance of Health Screening Tests
Health screening, along with a healthy diet and exercise, is necessary for good health and a higher quality of life.
Advertisement
The researchers (also the authors of the published paper), reached these conclusions by analysing information from two large US cohorts (group) studies followed till 2008—the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (which enrolled 51,529 male health professionals in 1986) and the Nurses' Health Study (which enrolled 121,700 female nurses in 1976).
The authors identified 36,102 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer and 29,447 new cases of other cancers in white participants. When excluding melanoma, the authors found that a history of non-melanoma skin cancer was linked to an 11% higher risk of other cancers in men and a 20% higher risk of other cancers in women. After correction for multiple comparisons, the authors found that a history of non-melanoma skin cancer was significantly linked to an increased risk of breast and lung cancer in women and of melanoma in both men and women.
![Cancer Pain]( "Cancer Pain")
The authors say: "This prospective study found a modestly increased risk of subsequent malignancies among individuals with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer, specifically breast and lung cancer in women and melanoma in both men and women."
They continue: "Because our study was observational, these results should be interpreted cautiously and are insufficient evidence to alter current clinical recommendations."
The authors add: "Nevertheless, these data support a need for continued investigation of the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship."
Source: Eurekalert
Advertisement
The authors say: "This prospective study found a modestly increased risk of subsequent malignancies among individuals with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer, specifically breast and lung cancer in women and melanoma in both men and women."
They continue: "Because our study was observational, these results should be interpreted cautiously and are insufficient evidence to alter current clinical recommendations."
The authors add: "Nevertheless, these data support a need for continued investigation of the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship."
Source: Eurekalert
Melanoma
Melanoma of the skin is a dangerous type of skin cancer that usually appears as a cancerous mole due to exposure to the sun's damaging UV rays.
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Cancer News
Chronotherapy (the sleep-wake cycle) is observed as a valuable alternative treatment in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
A nanoengineering platform targets neutrophils, the white blood cells without killing pancreatic cancer cells paving the way for effective treatments.
The survival rates between lobectomy and wedge resection surgical procedures were found to be the same among lung cancer patients.
The mechanism by which the kinases cause inflammation has been discovered by scientists.
Pancreatic cancer cases are on the rise. The biomarker approach could reduce the chance of developing pancreatic cancer.