Table 1.
Selected characteristics of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases and controls from the New Hampshire Skin Cancer Study (n = 713).a
| Variable | SCC cases (n = 253),No. (%) | Controls (n = 460),No. (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Male | 168 (66.4) | 280 (60.9) |
| Female | 85 (33.6) | 180 (39.1) |
| Median age, SD (years) | 68 (8.0) | 65 (10.7)*** |
| Education | ||
| Elementary to high or technical school | 111 (43.9) | 227 (49.3) |
| Any college | 80 (31.6) | 144 (31.1) |
| Graduate or professional school | 61 (24.1) | 89 (19.3) |
| Smoking statusb | ||
| Never | 79 (31.2) | 146 (31.7) |
| Former | 133 (52.6) | 230 (50.0) |
| Current | 40 (15.8) | 84 (18.3) |
| Skin color | ||
| Light | 213 (84.2) | 279 (60.6)*** |
| Medium | 38 (15.0) | 180 (39.1) |
| Skin sun sensitivityc | ||
| Severe sunburn with blistering | 22 (8.7) | 28 (6.1)*** |
| Painful sunburn and then peeling | 93 (36.8) | 116 (25.2) |
| Mild sunburn with some tanning | 111 (43.9) | 234 (50.9) |
| Tan without sunburn | 25 (9.9) | 80 (17.4) |
| No. of lifetime painful sunburnsd | ||
| 0 | 66 (26.1) | 147 (32.0)*** |
| 1–2 | 49 (19.4) | 134 (29.1) |
| 3+ | 136 (53.8) | 174 (37.8) |
| Prior keratinocyte cancere | ||
| Yes | 74 (29.2) | 37 (8.0)*** |
| No | 179 (70.8) | 423 (91.9) |
| Glucocorticoid usef | ||
| Yes | 33 (13.0) | 39 (8.5) |
| No | 211 (83.4) | 415 (90.2) |
| Transplant recipient | ||
| Yes | 6 (2.4) | 1 (0.2)** |
| No | 246 (97.2) | 458 (88.6) |
*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. P values obtained from X2, Fisher's exact, or Wilcoxon rank sum test (as appropriate) comparing sociodemographic and skin cancer risk factors between SCC cases and controls.
Numbers may not sum to the overall total due to missing data. They were excluded from complete case analyses.
Cigarette smoking status at 1 year prior to the reference or diagnosis date
Sun sensitivity was defined as the skin reaction to 1 h of sun exposure the first time in the summer.
Sunburns that caused pain for 2 or more days
Prior keratinocyte cancer was defined as having had a previous squamous cell, basal cell, or both squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma.
Glucocorticoid use was defined as having used oral steroid or corticosteroid medications (e.g., cortisone or prednisone) for 1 month or longer.