Standardized Incidence Ratio of Melanoma by Industry Groups in Korea

The risk of malignant skin cancer presents high diversity across at-risk social domains, such as outdoor workers; however, studies covering all countries that could identify vulnerable social domains of industrial classification are lacking. This study aimed to analyze the incidence of melanoma in specific industrial groups.

In this study, we analyzed National Health Insurance claims data by dividing participants into dynamic, baseline, and fixed cohorts according to industry definitions. The control group comprised general workers, national and government officers/public educational officers (NRGs/PEOs). The risks to specific industry groups are presented as age-standardized incidence ratios (SIRs).

The "manufacturing of fabricated metal products, except machinery and furniture" and "electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply" industries had increased SIR compared with general workers. The SIR increased in the "specialized construction activities," "wholesale trade on own account or on a fee or contract basis," "retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles," "professional services," "architectural, engineering, and other scientific-technical services," and "real estate activities" industries compared with that of NRGs/PEOs.

The incidence of melanoma was influenced by the proportion of outdoor workers in the industry and sex. The results suggest that these phenomena could be prevented through suitable social interventions.