Do Sunscreens Increase Risk of Melanoma in Populations Residing at Higher Latitudes? Edward D. Gorham MPH, PhDa, Sharif B. Mohr MPHa, Cedric F. Garland Dr.PH, FACEa, , , George Chaplin MScb and Frank C. Garland PhDa aDepartment of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA bDepartment of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Received 29 September 2006; accepted 10 June 2007. Available online 17 November 2007. Background Sunscreens may allow overexposure to ultraviolet A (UVA) in fair-skinned persons and prevent symptoms of sunburn, but their benefits for the prevention of melanoma are uncertain. Methods A PubMed search was performed that identified all known studies of the association of sunscreen use with melanoma risk during 1966-2007. A total of 18 studies were identified, of which 17 met criteria for inclusion in the analysis. Of these, 10 were conducted at latitudes >40¡ã from the equator and 7 at ¡Ü40¡ã. Data were pooled for all latitudes combined and also according to these latitude strata. The association of skin pigmentation and latitude with odds ratios was estimated using linear regression. Results Overall, there was no statistically significant effect of use of sunscreens on risk of melanoma (odds ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.9¨C1.6; p for heterogeneity < 0.0001). However, there was an interaction with latitude. At >40¡ã from the equator, the odds ratio was 1.6 (95% C.I. 1.3¨C1.9; p for heterogeneity = 0.006), whereas it was 0.7 at ¡Ü40¡ã (95% C.I. 0.4¨C1.0; p for heterogeneity = 0.0002). Conclusions Use of common sunscreen formulations that absorb UVB almost completely, but transmit large quantities of UVA, may contribute to risk of melanoma in populations at latitudes >40¡ã. Address correspondence to Cedric F. Garland, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive 0613C, La Jolla, CA 92093-0631. Annals of Epidemiology Volume 17, Issue 12, December 2007, Pages 956-963 doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2007.06.008 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.