Pigmentary Characteristics, UV Radiation Exposure, and Risk of Non–Hodgkin Lymphoma: a Prospective Study among Scandinavian Women

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BlankPigmentary Characteristics, UV Radiation Exposure, and Risk of Non–Hodgkin

Lymphoma: a Prospective Study among Scandinavian Women

1.. Marit Bragelien Veierød1,

2.. Karin Ekström Smedby3,

3.. Eiliv Lund5,

4.. Hans-Olov Adami4,6 and

5.. bete Weiderpass2,4,5,7

+ Author Affiliations

1.. Authors' Affiliations:1Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo;

2Department of Etiological Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, Oslo, Norway;

3Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet

and Karolinska University Hospital; 4Department of Medical Epidemiology and

Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 5Department of

Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway; 6Department of

Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; and

7Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland

1.. Corresponding Author:

Marit B. Veierød, Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Basic Medical

Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1122 Blindern, Oslo N-0317, Norway.

Phone: 47-22-85-14-32; Fax: 47-22-85-13-13. E-mail: m.b.veierod@...

Abstract

Background: UV radiation and pigmentary characteristics may be associated with

non–Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk, but few prospective studies exist. We

investigated these associations in a Norwegian-Swedish cohort.

Methods: The cohort included women ages 30 to 50 years at enrolment in 1991 to

1992. Host factors, and exposure to sun and artificial tanning devices in

life-decades 0 to 50 years were collected by questionnaire. Relative risks (RR)

with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by Poisson regression.

Results: Among 104,953 women with complete follow-up through 2006 (Sweden) and

2007 (Norway), 158 were diagnosed with NHL. Women with brown hair had an

increased risk of NHL compared with dark brown–haired/black-haired women (RR,

1.72; 95% CI, 1.08-2.74); decreased risks were found among women with gray,

green or mixed (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.32-0.77), or blue (RR, 0.54; 95% CI,

0.35-0.81) eyes compared with those with brown eyes, and among those with high

propensity to burn compared with those with low propensity (RR, 0.57; 95% CI,

0.36-0.91). Annual number of sunburns and bathing vacations in any age decade,

or ever use of artificial tanning devices were not significantly associated with

NHL risk. After exposure at ages 10 to 39 years, RRs for ever versus never

exposed were 0.99 (95% CI, 0.65-1.50) for sunburn, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.64-1.54) for

bathing vacations, and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.67-1.46) for artificial tanning device

use.

Conclusion: Whereas several pigmentary characteristics were associated with NHL

risk, our results do not support an association between UV radiation and NHL.

Impact: Studies of UV radiation and NHL are warranted for etiologic

understanding and public health recommendations. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers

Prev; 19(6); 1569–76. ©2010 AACR.