Use of prescription drugs and risk of cutaneous melanoma
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Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma is the most rapidly growing malignancy in Norway and is becoming an increasing public health concern. While exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun and solarium is the primary risk factor, certain prescription drugs may induce reduced immune function and/or increased sensitivity to UVR exposure, further increasing the risk of melanoma. In his thesis “Use of prescribed drugs and risk of cutaneous melanoma” Leon Alexander Mclaren Berge and co-workers have investigated the associations between the use of commonly prescribed drugs; antidepressant, immunomodulating and antihypertensive drugs, and the risk of melanoma in the Norwegian population. Relevant data was obtained from the Cancer Registry of Norway, the Norwegian Prescription Database, the Norwegian National Registry and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. A nested case-control design was used to estimate the risk for each drug group by number of prescriptions and cumulative dose. Sex, age, melanoma type, body site, and clinical stage, as well as ambient UVR exposure were taken into account in the analyses. Use of antidepressant drugs was associated with a decreased risk of melanoma, which aside from drug-effects may result from reduced UVR exposure among such users. Use of immunosuppressant drugs was associated with an increased risk of melanoma, particularly those drugs prescribed to organ transplant recipients. Use of certain antihypertensive drugs were also associated with an increased risk. The findings of this thesis suggest that long-term use of certain drug types can increase the risk of melanoma through immune mechanisms and/or increased UVR sensitivity. The findings may be used to better inform the medical community and the relevant patient groups about the potential risks, for more targeted melanoma prevention.List of papers
Paper 0: Cardiovascular, antidepressant and immunosuppressive drug use in relation to risk of cutaneous melanoma: A protocol for a prospective case-control study. Berge, Leon Alexander; Kulle, Bettina; Stenehjem, Jo S.; Larsen, Inger Kristin; Furu, Kari; Juzeniene, Asta; Roscher, Ingrid; Heir, Trond; Green, Adele; Veierød, Marit Bragelien; Robsahm, Trude Eid. BMJ Open. 2019, 9 (2):e025246, DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025246. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025246 |
Paper I: Use of Antidepressants and Risk of Cutaneous Melanoma: A Prospective Registry-Based Case-Control Study. Berge, Leon Alexander; Kulle, Bettina; Stenehjem, Jo S.; Heir, Trond; Furu, Kari; Juzeniene, Asta; Roscher, Ingrid; Larsen, Inger Kristin; Green, Adele C.; Veierød, Marit Bragelien; Robsahm, Trude Eid. Clinical Epidemiology. 2020, Volume 12, 193-202, DOI: 10.2147/CLEP.S241249. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S241249 |
Paper II: Use of immunomodulating drugs and risk of cutaneous melanoma: A nationwide nested case-control study. Berge, Leon Alexander; Kulle, Bettina; Stenehjem, Jo S.; Heir, Trond; Karlstad, Øystein; Juzeniene, Asta; Ghiasvand, Reza; Larsen, Inger Kristin; Green, Adele C.; Veierød, Marit Bragelien; Robsahm, Trude Eid. Clinical Epidemiology. 2020, Volume 12, 1389-1401, DOI: 10.2147/CLEP.S269446. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S269446 |
Paper III: Use of antihypertensive drugs and risk of cutaneous melanoma: A nation-wide nested case-control study. Ghiasvand, Reza; Berge, Leon Alexander; Andreassen, BK; Stenehjem, Jo S.; Heir, Trond; Karlstad, Øystein; Juzeniene, Asta; Larsen, Inger Kristin; Green, Adele C.; Veierød, Marit Bragelien; Robsahm, Trude Eid. To be published. The paper is not available in DUO awaiting publishing. |