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Burn injuries not seen to raise skin cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to some prior reports, people who suffer burn injuries are not at heightened risk of developing skin cancers, a new study shows.
Dr. Lene Mellemkjaer, of the Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, and colleagues identified 16,903 patients who had been admitted to a hospital with a thermal or chemical burn during 1978 to 1993. The subjects were followed for cancer for an average of 15.6 years.
Patients with burn injuries had a total of 139 skin cancers, with 189 expected.
The reduced risk of skin cancer was mainly the result of reduced risk of a non-melanoma type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma as well as a reduced risk of malignant melanoma.
The relative risk of another type of non-melanoma skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma was close to expected.
There were no consistent increases in risk for skin cancer in subgroups of patients with the most severe burns or with the longest periods of follow-up.
In an interview with Reuters Health, Mellemkjaer said that the reason for the reduced risk may be less exposure to the sun after the burn injury -- perhaps because sun exposure is uncomfortable for these patients, or it could be for cosmetic reasons.
SOURCE: Epidemiology November 2006.
Reuters Health