• At the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City, Mark A. Hyde is an assistant professor of dermatology at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and an assistant professor in the department of community and public health at Utah Valley University, Douglas Grossman is a professor in the Department of Dermatology and codirector of the melanoma and cutaneous oncology program at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Yelena P. Wu is an assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology, Saundra Buys is a professor in the Department of Medicine and medical director of the High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Lisa H. Gren is an associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and Mia Hashibe is an associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (K07CA196985). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or NCI. The authors have disclosed no other potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of melanoma is increasing. Other than limiting UV exposure, few factors prevent or reduce the risk of melanoma. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D intake and melanoma risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial.

METHODS: A secondary data analysis was performed on PLCO data. More than 1,300 participants developed melanoma.

RESULTS: Melanoma risk may be increased among men within the highest quartile of vitamin D intake (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.99, 1.61). Women in the highest quartile of vitamin D intake had a decreased risk of invasive melanoma (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.41, 0.96). Higher education and being white corresponded with deeper tumors (P < .001).

CONCLUSION: High reported vitamin D intake resulted in an increased risk of melanoma among men. Vitamin D intake yielded a protective effect against invasive melanoma in women.