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Case–control study of smoking and non-melanoma skin cancer

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Abstract

Objective

To investigate the association between cigarette smoking and basal and squamous cell carcinomas (BCC and SCC) of the skin, a clinic-based case–control study was conducted in Tampa, FL.

Methods

Patients with histologically confirmed BCC/SCC were recruited from a university dermatology clinic (n = 215 BCC, 165 SCC). Controls were comprised of individuals with no history of skin cancer who screened negative for skin cancer upon physical examination at the affiliated cancer screening or primary care clinics (n = 315). Information on smoking and other risk factors was obtained from self-administered questionnaires.

Results

After adjustment for age, sex, and other skin cancer–risk factors, ever smoking was not associated with BCC (odds ratio (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.83–1.92), but was statistically significantly associated with SCC (OR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.19–3.26), with significant trends observed for SCC associated with increasing cigarettes per day (p = 0.01) and pack-years smoked (p = 0.01). Among men, smoking ≥20 pack-years was associated with non-significant increased risks of BCC (OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 0.88–4.12) and SCC (OR = 1.97, 95% CI = 0.84–4.66), whereas among women, no association was observed with BCC (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.39–2.46) while a statistically significant three-fold risk was observed with SCC (OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 1.02–8.80).

Conclusion

Cigarette smoking is more strongly associated with SCC than BCC, particularly among women.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff of the LCS clinic and USF Clinics for their assistance with recruitment of patients, especially Jill Weber and Carolyn Gerow. We also thank Melissa Crochunis for assistance with the pathology reports. This work was supported by a grant to DER from the state of Florida’s James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program (06NIR-08).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Dana E. Rollison, Michelle R. Iannacone, Anna R. Giuliano & Kristen A. Jonathan

  2. Cutaneous Oncology Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA

    Jane L. Messina & Vernon K. Sondak

  3. Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Jane L. Messina, L. Frank Glass & Neil A. Fenske

  4. Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, USF College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Jane L. Messina, L. Frank Glass, Basil S. Cherpelis & Neil A. Fenske

  5. Department of Family Medicine, USF College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Richard G. Roetzheim

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  1. Dana E. Rollison
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  2. Michelle R. Iannacone
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Correspondence to Dana E. Rollison.

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Rollison, D.E., Iannacone, M.R., Messina, J.L. et al. Case–control study of smoking and non-melanoma skin cancer. Cancer Causes Control 23, 245–254 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9872-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9872-y

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