Role of Sun Exposure in the Etiology of Malignant Melanoma: Epidemiologic Inference

A nationwide study of malignant melanoma in Israel revealed a high incidence rate in the nativeborn of European extraction. Rates were intermediate in the veteran foreignborn Europeans, lower in more recent Europeanborn immigrants, and lowest among the Asian- and African-born. A 1:1.5 male-to-female ratio could be accounted for by the relatively higher incidence of lesions of the upper and lower extremities in females. These results indicated a causative role of sun exposure in the etiology of malignant melanoma and demonstrated that the disease incidence was modified by environmental factors.