Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Obesity and the incidence of skin cancer in US Caucasians

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Limited information is available on the potential link between obesity and either melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancers.

Objective

To conduct a prospective study to examine the association between obesity and the risk of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Methods

Using pooled data from two large national cohorts in the US, the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS), we prospectively examined the incidence of melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) among participants grouped according to body mass index (BMI).

Results

Compared to participants with an updated BMI in the normal range, those with a BMI in the obese range had a 32 % lower risk of developing SCC, and those with a BMI in the morbidly obese category had a 37 % lower risk of developing SCC. The decrease in SCC risk was limited to women. Compared to participants with a BMI in the normal range, those with a BMI in the obese range had a 19 % lower risk of developing BCC, and those with a BMI in the morbidly obese category had a 29 % lower risk of developing BCC. The risk of developing melanoma did not statistically differ by BMI grouping. The results were similar using BMI measurements obtained 10 years prior to the diagnosis of skin cancer.

Conclusion

Obesity appears to be inversely associated with the development of non-melanoma skin cancers. Obesity is most likely a surrogate marker for lack of chronic sun exposure, which is a risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Flegal K, Carroll M, Ogden C et al (2002) Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999–2000. JAMA 288:1723–1727

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hedley A, Ogden C, Johnson C et al (2004) Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA 291:2847–2850

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Sharma S, Katiyar S (2010) Leptin deficiency-induced obesity exacerbates ultraviolet B radiation-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression and cell survival signals in ultraviolet B-irradiated mouse skin. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 244:328–335

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ogden C, Flegal K, Carroll M et al (2002) Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999–2000. JAMA 288:1728–1732

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Calle E, Rodriguez C, Walker-Thurmond K et al (2003) Overweight, obesity and mortality from cancer in a prospectively studied cohort of US adults. N Engl J Med 348:1625–1638

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rogers H, Weinstock M, Harris A et al (2010) Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States, 2006. Arch Dermatol 146:283–287

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Rigel D (2008) Cutaneous ultraviolet exposure and its relationship to the development of skin cancer. Am Acad Dermatol 58:S129–S132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M et al. (2011) SEER Cancer statistics review, 1975–2008, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD. http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2008/, based on November 2010 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site

  9. Coups E, Geller A, Weinstock M, Heckman C et al (2010) Prevalence and correlates of skin cancer screening among middle-aged and older white adults in the United States. Am J Med 123:439–445

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Brandon E, Gu J, Cantwell L et al (2009) Obesity promotes melanoma tumor growth: role of leptin. Cancer Biol Ther 8:1871–1879

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Han J, Kraft P, Nan H et al (2008) A genome-wide association study identifies novel alleles associated with hair color and skin pigmentation. PLoS Genet 4:e1000074

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Nan N, Kraft P, Qureshi AA et al (2009) Genome-wide association study of tanning phenotype in a population of European ancestry. J Invest Dermatol 129:2250–2257

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Colditz G, Martin P, Stampfer M (1986) Validation of questionnaire information on risk factors and disease outcomes in a prospective cohort study of women. Am J Epidemiol 123:894–900

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hunter D, Colditz G, Stampfer M et al (1992) Diet and risk of basal cell carcinoma of the skin in a prospective cohort of women. Ann Epidemiol 2:231–239

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Qureshi AA, Laden F, Colditz GA et al (2008) Geographic variation and risk of skin cancer in US women. Differences between melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. Arch Intern Med 168:501–507

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ainsworth B, Haskell W, Leon A et al (1993) Compendium of physical activities: classification of energy costs of human physical activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 25:71–80

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Wolf A, Hunter D, Colditz G et al (1994) Reproducibility and validity of a self-administered physical activity questionnaire. Int J Epidemiol 23:991–999

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Chasan-Taber S, Rimm E, Stampfer M et al (1996) Reproducibility and validity of a self-administered physical activity questionnaire for male health professionals. Epidemiology 7:81–86

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Renehan AG, Tyson M, Egger M et al (2008) Body-mass index and incidence of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. Lancet 371:569–578

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Mukhtar H, Elmets C (1996) Photocarcinogenesis: mechanisms, models and human health implications. Photochem Photobiol 63:356–357

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Scott K, Moore R, Arnott C et al (2003) An anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibody inhibits the development of experimental skin tumors. Mol Cancer Ther 2:445–451

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Tron V, Rosenthal D, Sauder D (1988) Epidermal interleukin-1 is increased in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. J Invest Dermatol 90:378–381

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. English D, Armstrong B, Kricker A et al (1997) Sunlight and cancer. Cancer Causes Control 8:271–283

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kricker A, Armstrong B, English D et al (1995) Does intermittent sun exposure cause basal cell carcinoma? A case-control study in Western Australia. Int J Cancer 60:489–494

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Rosso S, Zanetti R, Martinez C et al (1996) The multicentre south European study “Helios” II: different sun exposure patterns in the aetiology of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. Br J Cancer 73:1447–1454

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Trost S, Owen N, Bauman A et al (2002) Correlates of adults’ participation in physical activity: review and update. Med Sci Sports Exerc 34:1996–2001

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Martinez-Gonzalez M, Martinez J, Hu F, Gibney M et al (1999) Physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle and obesity in the European Union. Int J Obes 23:1192–1201

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Brownson R, Eyler A, King A et al (2000) Patterns and correlates of physical activity among US women 40 years and older. Am J Public Health 90:264–270

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ruchlin H, Lachs M (1999) Prevalence and correlates of exercise among older adults. J Appl Gerontol 18:341–357

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Salmon J, Bauman A, Crawford D et al (2000) The association between television viewing and overweight among Australian adults participating in varying levels of leisure time physical activity. Int J Obes 24:600–606

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Friedenreich CM, Neilson HK, Lynch BM (2010) State of the epidemiological evidence on physical activity and cancer prevention. Eur J Cancer 46:2593–2604

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Haenssle H, Korpas B, Hansen-Hagge C et al (2010) Selection of patients for long-term surveillance with digital dermoscopy by assessment of melanoma risk factors. Arch Dermatol 146:257–264

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (1992) IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Solar and ultraviolet radiation. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum 55:1–316

    Google Scholar 

  34. Veierød M, Weiderpass E, Thörn M et al (2003) A prospective study of pigmentation, sun exposure, and risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma in women. J Natl Cancer Inst 95:1530–1538

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. American Cancer Society (2010) Cancer facts and figures 2010. American Cancer Society, Atlanta, p 14

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study for their dedication and commitment. We thank the following state cancer registries for their help: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Departmental Funding, and NIH CA87969 and CA055075.

Conflict of interest

No conflicts of interest to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Salma Pothiawala

  2. Clinical Research Program, Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Salma Pothiawala, Abrar A. Qureshi & Jiali Han

  3. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA, USA

    Abrar A. Qureshi, Yunhui Li & Jiali Han

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Jiali Han

Authors
  1. Salma Pothiawala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Abrar A. Qureshi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yunhui Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jiali Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiali Han.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pothiawala, S., Qureshi, A.A., Li, Y. et al. Obesity and the incidence of skin cancer in US Caucasians. Cancer Causes Control 23, 717–726 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9941-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9941-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation