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Measurement of Ultraviolet Exposure in Epidemiological Studies of Skin and Skin Cancers
Author(s) -
Worswick Scott Drayton,
Cockburn Myles,
Peng David
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.2008.00367.x
Subject(s) - skin cancer , reliability (semiconductor) , ultraviolet radiation , measure (data warehouse) , dermatology , medicine , cancer , computer science , medical physics , physics , chemistry , data mining , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , radiochemistry
As our understanding of the role of UV in causing skin cancer continues to expand, researchers and clinicians must continue to remain up to date on the various means by which UV exposure can be quantified. The purpose of this article was to review the current methods used to measure lifetime exposure to UV and to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of each of these approaches. Thus we include here a review of research articles that deal with questionnaire reliability and physical examination. We also review more technologically advanced techniques used to measure chronic UV exposure; these include microtopography, histology, gene studies and spectroscopy. Both the utility of using a specific measurement technique and the accuracy of particular techniques are explored. Finally, we touch upon the results of articles that link UV exposure to skin cancer and what this means for the future of UV‐induced skin cancer research.