Is phototherapy in neonates a risk factor for malignant melanoma development?
P. Berg and B. Lindelof
Division of Dermatology, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital, Sweden.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether phototherapy of the newborn's sensitive
skin could be a risk factor for malignant melanoma. DESIGN: Retrospective
study from 1973 to 1992. SETTING: The Swedish Medical Birth Registry and
the Swedish Cancer Registry. PATIENTS: Thirty cases of childhood malignant
melanoma and 120 matched controls. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Data in birth and cancer reports and from death certificates in
Sweden. RESULTS: None of the patients with childhood malignant melanoma had
received phototherapy, in comparison with 11 of the controls. This
difference was not significant (P = .08; Fisher exact test). CONCLUSION:
This preliminary report shows no significant risk of developing childhood
malignant melanoma after phototherapy of the skin in neonates with
hyperbilirubinemia. However, the median follow-up time was only 18 years.
