Alcohol Intake and Risk of Incident Melanoma

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk of numerous cancers, but has not been definitively associated with risk of melanoma. We used prospectively gathered data from three large cohorts to investigate whether alcohol intake is associated with risk of invasive melanoma and melanoma in situ. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate multivariate-adjusted risk ratios. 1,496 cases of invasive melanoma and 870 cases of melanoma in situ were documented during 4,236,166 person-years of follow-up. Pooled analysis of all cohorts demonstrated an association between total alcohol intake and incidence of both invasive melanoma (RR 1.14†, 95% CI: 1.02-1.27, p trend =0.02) and melanoma in situ (RR 1.40†, 95% CI: 1.19-1.64, p trend <0.01). White wine consumption was associated with an additional increase in risk of invasive melanoma (RR 1.14†, 95% CI: 1.05- 1.25, p trend <0.01) and melanoma in situ (RR 1.17†, 95% CI: 1.03-1.33, p trend =0.02) even after adjusting for total alcohol consumption. Our findings indicate that overall alcohol intake is associated with a modest increase in the risk of incident melanoma, and that white wine may be associated with additional increased risk independent of its ethanol content.

†Per drink per day