Does Use of Tetracyclines Among Veterans Increase Their Risk for Melanoma

Studies have shown that people who have experienced episodes of acute exposure to ultraviolet radiation, resulting in severe sunburns, have an increased risk of melanoma skin cancers. Sunburns are photosensitive reactions to sunlight. Ingested chemicals, such as tetracycline antibiotics, can also cause photosensitive reactions. The tetracycline molecules in the skin absorb normally harmless doses of visible and UV light, clinically causing an acute inflammatory response (erythema) or exaggerated sunburn. Although photosensitivity is a well-recognized adverse event of the tetracycline class of antibiotics (studies reporting 3 to 90% of users experienced symptoms), the extent to which these widely prescribed antibiotics increase the risk for melanoma has not been examined. Studies in animals and humans have suggested that other photosensitizers (flouroquinolones, psoralens) enhance UV-associated skin carcinogenesis. The objective of this case control study was to explore the association between tetracycline antibiotics and risk of melanoma in a cohort of White and Hispanic White male patients seen at a Florida veterans' hospital from 1994 to 2000.