Association of UV index, latitude, and melanoma incidence in nonwhite populations - US surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) program, 1992 to 2001

Objective: To estimate the association between UV index, latitude, and melanoma incidence in different racial and ethnic populations in a high-quality national data set. Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Eleven US cancer registries that constitute the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER-11). Patients: Patients with malignant melanoma of the skin reported between 1992 and 2001. Main Outcome Measures: Pearson correlation coefficients and regression coefficients were used to estimate the relationship of age-adjusted melanoma incidence rates (2000 US standard population) with the UV index or latitude within racial and ethnic groups. Results: A higher mean UV index was significantly associated with an increase in melanoma incidence only in non-Hispanic whites (r=0.85, P=.001), although a nonsignificant association was noted in Native Americans (r=0.42, P=.20). Negative, but not significant, correlations with incidence were observed in blacks (r=-0.53, P=.10), Hispanics (r=-0.43, P=.19), and Asians (r=-0.28, P=41). Latitude also had a significant correlation with incidence only in non-Hispanic whites (r=-0.85, P=.001). A substantial portion of the variance in registry incidence in non-Hispanic whites could be explained by the UV index (R-2 = 0. 7 1, P =. 00 1). Conclusions: Melanoma incidence is associated with increased UV index and lower latitude only in non-Hispanic whites. No evidence to support the association of UV exposure and melanoma incidence in black or Hispanic populations was found.