RISK OF CUTANEOUS MELANOMA-ASSOCIATED WITH A FAMILY HISTORY OF THE DISEASE

In a combined analysis of 2952 melanoma patients and 3618 controls fro m 8 case-control studies in white populations the risk of cutaneous me lanoma was 2.24-fold higher (95% CI, 1.76-2.86) in subjects who report ed at least one affected first-degree relative than in subjects who di d not. There was no evidence for heterogeneity in the relative risk be tween the studies, which were from a wide range of latitudes and hence degrees of sun exposure. The effect of family history on melanoma ris k was independent of age, naevus count, hair and eye colour, and freck ling. There was no evidence for a relationship between family history and primary site of melanoma but there was some suggestion that the fa milial patients were more likely to have superficial spreading melanom a or lentigo maligna melanoma than acral lentiginous melanoma or nodul ar melanoma. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.