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Left-sided excess of invasive cutaneous melanoma in six countries.
- Source :
-
European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990) [Eur J Cancer] 2007 Dec; Vol. 43 (18), pp. 2634-7. Date of Electronic Publication: 2007 Nov 07. - Publication Year :
- 2007
-
Abstract
- To investigate the laterality of cutaneous melanoma (ICD-10 C43), we obtained data spanning the period of diagnosis 1998-2003 from six population-based cancer registries: New South Wales, Australia; England; Finland; The Netherlands; Scotland; and the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the United States of America (restricted to 'White' race category only). For cases with laterality recorded, the overall ratios of left- to right-sided tumours were calculated. We found that left to right ratios were consistently greater than 1.00, ranging from 1.08 (New South Wales, Australia and US SEER 'White') to 1.18 (Scotland), with an overall ratio for all registries combined of 1.10 (95% confidence interval 1.08-1.11). There were no statistically significant differences by sex or age group for all sub-sites combined, or for upper limb or lower limb melanomas. The excess of left-sided tumours seems unlikely to be explained by chance or recording bias. The most likely explanations would appear to be either differences in sun exposure and/or asymmetry of melanocyte distribution or characteristics arising at the time of embryological development.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Chi-Square Distribution
Child
Child, Preschool
England epidemiology
Female
Finland epidemiology
Humans
Infant
Male
Melanoma pathology
Middle Aged
Netherlands epidemiology
New South Wales epidemiology
Scotland epidemiology
Skin Neoplasms pathology
United States epidemiology
Melanoma epidemiology
Skin Neoplasms epidemiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0959-8049
- Volume :
- 43
- Issue :
- 18
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 17988856
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2007.09.021