Sun protection and skin cancer screening after childhood cancer – a report from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (SCCSS)
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Background
Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) face elevated skin cancer risk, especially after radiotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We evaluated the prevalence and predictors of sun protection, sunburn, and physician skin examination (PSE) among CCS in Switzerland.
Methods
We surveyed CCS diagnosed <21 years and surviving ≥5 years after diagnosis about sun protection, sunburns during last summer, and PSE within the last year. We retrieved cancer-related data from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry and used multivariable logistic regression, stratified by age group, to identify predictors.
Results
We included 1,048 children (5-15 years), 572 adolescents (16-19 years), and 1,959 adults (≥20 years). Regular sun protection was reported by 89% of children, 65% of adolescents, and 77% of adults, and sunburns by 23%, 49%, and 43%. PSE prevalence among those treated with radiotherapy was 21%, 18%, and 17%, and among HSCT recipients 36%, 28%, and 28%. Radiotherapy was unrelated to sun protection and PSE, but associated with fewer sunburns (OR=0.63-0.77). HSCT recipients were more likely to have attended a PSE (OR=2.06-3.75), but not radiotherapy recipients. Across age groups, survivors born more recently were less likely to protect from sun (OR range=0.94-0.97) and more likely to report sunburn (OR=1.04-1.14).
Conclusion
Survivors protect insufficiently from sun and only few who are particularly at risk for skin cancer due to their treatment history attend PSEs as recommended by the Children’s Oncology Group. Healthcare practitioners should systematically integrate yearly PSE after radiotherapy or HSCT and encourage consistent sun protection, particularly among younger generations and adolescents.
