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Association of Melanoma with BMI and lifestyle risk factors

Principal Investigator
Name
Melody Eide
Institution
Henry Ford Health System
Email
About this CDAS Project
Study
PLCO (Learn more about this study)
Project ID
2010-0294
Initial CDAS Request Approval
Dec 8, 2011
Title
Association of Melanoma with BMI and lifestyle risk factors
Summary
Melanoma incidence continues to increase worldwide. Since 1973, the US melanoma incidence rate has tripled. The US has also been plagued by an obesity epidemic, with rates in the US increasing dramatically during a similar time period as melanoma. Epidemiological studies have suggested that there may be a correlation between obesity and melanoma. Obesity has been significantly associated with as much as a 2.5 fold increase in melanoma risk. While it is unclear what biologic mechanisms or behavioral factors may mediate the relationship of obesity, body mass index (BMI), and melanoma, it has been suggested that obesity reduction may translate to benefits in the prevention of melanoma. With looming public health implications, epidemiologic investigation of an association of melanoma with obesity is imperative in the battle against both of these epidemics. However it is unclear if biologic or behavioral factors mediate the relationship of BMI and melanoma and there has been a paucity of information on women to study. The objective of our study is to examine the association of melanoma with BMI among participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal & Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.
Aims

This project will investigate the following specific objectives in the PLCO cohort: 1. To ascertain incident cases of malignant melanoma among intervention and control subjects in the PLCO cancer screening trial and describe these cases in terms of body mass index, age, gender, race, and education levels; It is hypothesized that a higher body mass index, especially in men, will be associated with a higher incidence of malignant melanoma. 2. To estimate epidemiologic measures, including melanoma incidence and five-year survival by BMI classification, and identify any survival differences, adjusting for available risk factors. It is hypothesized that incidence will be higher in those with BMI >25 and survival lower, compared to those with a lower BMI. 3. To investigate the stage of melanoma at diagnosis and its relationship with BMI; It is hypothesized that lower BMI will be associated with early stage melanoma compared to higher BMI. 4. To quantify and compare the relationship of early life (age 20) versus later life (age 50) BMI with melanoma outcomes, including impact of potential mediators including caloric and dietary factors, physical activity and smoking status. It is hypothesized that melanoma patients with lower BMIs at both age 20 and age 50 will have better outcomes than patients with higher BMIs at either of these ages, which will not be completely explained by nutrition and lifestyle factors.

Collaborators

Christine Johnson, PhD (Henry Ford Hospital, Department of Public Health Sciences)