Painful, blistering, severe sunburns tied to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Individuals exposed to increased frequencies of painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburns throughout their lifetime have increased odds of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies in which the association between cSCC and any type of sunburn history at any age was investigated in the general population. Of the 9,310 titles and abstracts initially identified, 43 met the eligibility criteria.

The primary outcome was the risk of developing cSCC. Sunburn frequency—undefined and painful, blistering, and/or severe—in any life period was categorized as none, low, medium, or high.

Of the 43 studies, 17 were included in the meta-analysis. These studies involved a total of 321,473 participants. Six studies reported a lifetime history of any painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburns; six studies reported lifetime painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn frequency; and three studies reported childhood painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn frequency.

Pooled data showed the odds of developing cSCC significantly increased with exposure to medium (odds ratio [OR], 1.51, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.26–1.81) and high (OR, 1.69, 95 percent CI, 1.39–2.06) lifetime painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn frequencies.

Similarly, high frequencies of painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburns in childhood were strongly associated with increased odds of cSCC (OR, 3.11, 95 percent CI, 1.26–7.66), as was a history of any painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn (OR, 1.38, 95 percent CI, 1.06–1.79).