Authored By:
Burgard B, Schöpe J, Holzschuh I, Schiekofer C, Reichrath S, Stefan W, Pilz S, Ordonez-Mena J, März W, Vogt T, Reichrath JSummary:
Burgard et al conducted a meta-analysis of solarium use and the risk of malignant melanoma. The authors identified 2 cohort and 29 case-control studies that were deemed eligible for the meta-analysis. These studies included 11,706 malignant melanoma cases and 93,236 controls. The studies covered in the meta-analysis were primarily from Europe, North America and Australia.
The authors found that the data support an association between solarium use and malignant melanoma (Odds Ratio, OR=1.19; 95% Confidence Interval, CI=1.04-1.35). In addition, there was a higher association for high exposure to ultraviolet radiation from a solarium (>10 sessions in a lifetime) and melanoma risk (OR=1.43; 95% CI=1.17-1.74). This supports the existence of a dose-response relationship (i.e. the more UV exposure in a solarium, the higher the risk of melanoma). The authors also reported that they found an association between first exposure to ultraviolet radiation from a solarium before age 25 years and melanoma risk (OR=1.59; 95% CI=1.38-1.83).
Despite these findings, the authors concluded that the papers that were included in the analysis were of poor quality and had high risk of bias supporting these associations. Consequently, the meta-analysis concluded that there was no scientific evidence that moderate/responsible solarium use increases the risk of melanoma.
Published In:
Anticancer Research: International journal of Cancer Research and Treatment, February 2018; 38 (2) : 591 - 1219
Based on the reported associations between solarium use and malignant melanoma, the scientific evidence supports Australia’s nation-wide policy to ban all commercial solaria.
