This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dorgan, J. F. Articles by Tangrea, J. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dorgan, J. F. Articles by Tangrea, J. A.

Serum Carotenoids and -Tocopherol and Risk of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

¹ Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; ² Temple University Medical School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; ³ Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and ⁴ Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland; ⁵ Division of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; ⁶ Information Management Services, Silver Spring, Maryland; ⁷ Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois; ⁸ University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas; and ⁹ National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas

Requests for reprints: Joanne Dorgan, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111. Phone: 215-728-5893; Fax: 215-214-1632. E-mail: jf_dorgan{at}fccc.edu

Background: Carotenoids and tocopherols have been hypothesized to protect against cancer. Methods: We prospectively evaluated associations of several carotenoids and -tocopherol with risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer using serum collected at baseline from 302 subjects in the Isotretinoin-Basal Cell Carcinoma Prevention Trial. All subjects had at least two BCCs in the 5 years prior to randomization. During 5 years of follow-up, 70 subjects did not develop a nonmelanoma skin cancer, 221 developed a BCC, and 85 developed a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate risk ratios. Models were stratified by clinical center and gender and adjusted for age, solar damage, skin type, number of prior BCCs and/or SCCs, treatment group, body mass index, and serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Results: Risk of developing a subsequent BCC was not related to serum levels of any of the carotenoids measured or to -tocopherol. Serum levels of -carotene, ß-carotene, lycopene, and -tocopherol also were not independently related to risk of a subsequent SCC. However, serum lutein, zeaxanthin, and ß-cryptoxanthin were positively related to SCC risk; risk ratios for subjects in the highest versus lowest tertiles of these micronutrients were 1.63 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.88-3.01; P for trend = 0.01], 2.40 (95% CI 1.30-4.42; P for trend = 0.01), and 2.15 (95% CI 1.21-3.83; P for trend = 0.09), respectively. Conclusion: Additional research is needed on the relationship of carotenoids to SCC risk in the general population and in subsets of the population who are at increased risk.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Hercberg, K. Ezzedine, C. Guinot, P. Preziosi, P. Galan, S. Bertrais, C. Estaquio, S. Briancon, A. Favier, J. Latreille, et al. Antioxidant Supplementation Increases the Risk of Skin Cancers in Women but Not in Men J. Nutr., September 1, 2007; 137(9): 2098 - 2105. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. McNaughton, G. C. Marks, and A. C. Green Role of Dietary Factors in the Development of Basal Cell Cancer and Squamous Cell Cancer of the Skin Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., July 1, 2005; 14(7): 1596 - 1607. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]