On the Linkage of Solar Ultraviolet Radiation to Skin Cancer.

摘要

The linkage of solar ultraviolet radiation to skin cancer is investigated in this paper by making comparisons of incidence rates in countries with predominantly white populations with respect to geographic, time, age, and anatomic site variations. It is concluded that the evidence in support of the hypothesis that solar ultraviolet radiation is a dominant factor in the induction of squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas is convincing. Many anomalies of various kinds are found in the hypothesis that solar ultraviolet radiation is a significant factor in the induction of malignant melanoma, leading to the conclusion that the primary cause(s) for this class of tumors must be sought elsewhere. Analysis of the data indicates that urbanization is an important factor in the etiology of basal cell carcinoma and, to a lesser degree, in the etiology of malignant melanoma. The biological amplification factor (ratio of percent increase in non-melanoma skin cancer incidence to percent increase in ultraviolet dose) is estimated to lie between 1 and 2. (Author)