CUTANEOUS MALIGNANT-MELANOMA IN WOMEN IS UNCOMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH AFAMILY HISTORY OF MELANOMA IN FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES - A CASE-CONTROLSTUDY

Sun exposure is the principal cause of malignant melanoma, but other r isk factors may be important. During their reproductive years women ar e at a greater risk for melanoma than men. We performed an age-matched case-control study of cutaneous malignant melanoma in 159 women atten ding a single oncology clinic in Montreal. A reported family history o f cutaneous malignant melanoma in first-degree relatives was associate d with a significantly increased risk of melanoma (adjusted relative r isk: 4.28, P = 0.046). No subject was a member of a hereditary melanom a family (three or more cases of melanoma in first-degree relatives). As expected, variables related to sun exposure were also strong determ inants of risk. Height was a significant risk factor, but the differen ce between the mean heights of cases and controls was only 2 cm (P = 0 .009). The age of menarche of cases was lower than in controls (mean 1 2.70 and 13.08 years respectively, P = 0.036) but there was no signifi cant elevation in risk associated with other reproductive variables. t his study suggests that a family history of malignant melanoma is a si gnificant risk factor, but that hereditary melanoma may be less common than is currently believed.