Premium
Malignant Melanoma in World War II Veterans
Author(s) -
Brown Julian,
Kopf Alfred W.,
Rica Darrell S.,
Friedman Robert J.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1984.tb01228.x
Subject(s) - melanoma , medicine , population , world war ii , dermatology , demography , malignant transformation , pathology , environmental health , history , cancer research , archaeology , sociology
In a consecutive series of 1,067 patient entered into the data base of the Melanoma Cooperative Croup at New York University School of Medicine between 1972 and 1980, 120 men were of draft age (18–31 years) during World War II (1941–1945). Questionnaires were sent to these 120 individuals; 89 responded. Simultaneously, a control (nonmelanoma) population of 65 men of similar age was queried. Each subject in both groups was asked whether he had served in the armed forces during World War It and, if so, what were his theaters of operation. Based on the response, 83% (74 of 89) of the melanoma group compared with 76% (49 of 65) of the control group had served in the armed forces during World War II; however, a significantly (p = 0.0002) greater percent of the melanoma patients 134%) served in the tropics than did the control subjects (6%). Further, overrepresented in the melanoma group that served in the tropics (compared with the melanoma group who served in the armed forces in nontropical theaters) were malignant melanomas that had their origin in nevocytic nevi. The findings suggest that Caucasian individuals heavily exposed to sunlight in the tropics for several years during early life may he at higher risk to the subsequent development of cutaneous malignant melanoma. In some individuals this may be a two‐step phenomenon, in which the first step is the solar induction of nevocytic nevi and the second is malignant transformation within them.