Table 2

Relative risk of incidence and mortality^a related to solar UV-B exposure, northern versus southern United States boundary^b, non-Hispanic whites (95% CI in parentheses): Cancer sites with strongest evidence of an inverse association with solar UV-B exposure.

Incidence

Mortality

Cancer site

Males

Females

Males

Females

Esophagus (males)

1.27 (1.21–1.34)

1.36 (1.31–1.41)

Stomach

1.42 (1.35–1.49)

1.27 (1.19–1.36)

1.31 (1.26–1.36)

1.26 (1.21–1.32)

Colon

1.11 (1.08–1.13)

1.14 (1.11–1.16)

1.27 (1.24–1.30)

1.24 (1.22–1.27)

Rectum

1.27 (1.23–1.32)

1.14 (1.09–1.18)

1.53 (1.45–1.60)

1.37 (1.30–1.44)

Gallbladder (females)

1.86 (1.66–2.09)

1.98 (1.82–2.16)

Other biliary

1.20 (1.07–1.35)

1.21 (1.07–1.36)

1.56 (1.40–1.75)

1.58 (1.43–1.76)

Uterus

1.49 (1.45–1.53)

1.52 (1.46–1.58)

Vulva

1.18 (1.09–1.29)

1.93 (1.72–2.17)

Prostate

1.20 (1.19–1.22)

1.17 (1.15–1.19)

Bladder

1.13 (1.10–1.16)

1.15 (1.11–1.20)

1.24 (1.20–1.28)

1.21 (1.15–1.27)

Hodgkin lymphoma

1.16 (1.04–1.29)

1.19 (1.05–1.34)

1.14 (1.00–1.30)

1.25 (1.09–1.43)

Myeloma

1.19 (1.12–1.27)

1.22 (1.14–1.31)

1.16 (1.11–1.22)

1.16 (1.11–1.21)

^aAdjusted for the variables listed in Table 1 and excluding high-migration counties. Incidence includes states and counties shown in Figure 1 for the period 1998–2002 ; mortality includes entire United States except Alaska and Hawaii for the period 1993–2002.

^b Relative risk of receiving annual average of 650 kJ/m² of erythemally-weighted ultraviolet exposure (a value typical of northern Maine, Minnesota or Washington) versus annual average of 1540 kJ/m² (a value typical of southern Florida, Texas, or Arizona).

Boscoe and Schymura BMC Cancer 2006 6:264   doi:10.1186/1471-2407-6-264