Changes in Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure to the Ocular Region: A Population-Based Study

In contrast to the well-established association between ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure and skin cancers, the relationship between UVR and uveal malignant melanoma (UM) remains controversial. To address this controversy, we evaluated the incidence rates of cutaneous malignancies in the eyelids as a proxy for UVR exposure in the ocular region using a population-based cancer registry. Overall, 74,053 cases of eyelid basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 7890 cases of melanoma over a 26-year period (1982–2007) were analyzed. The incidence of eyelid basal cell carcinoma and uveal melanoma remained stable, whereas other cutaneous areas demonstrated an increase in the rates. A comparability test demonstrated that BCC incidence trends were significantly different between the eyelid versus both chronically exposed (males p = 0.001; females p = 0.01) and intermittently exposed skin (males and females, p = 0.0002), as well as the skin of the face (males p = 0.002; females p = 0.02). Similarly, melanoma trends were significantly different between the UM group versus both chronically exposed cutaneous melanoma (CM) (males p = 0.001; females p = 0.04) and intermittently exposed CM (males p = 0.005), as well as facial skin CM (males and females p = 0.0002). The discrepancy of cancer incidence between tumors in the peri-ocular region versus the rest of the body suggests that the peri-ocular region might have a different or unique exposure pattern to ultraviolet radiation.