A case-control study on lip cancer risk factors in Ragusa (Sicily)

Incidence rates of lip cancer in males in Ragusa (Sicily) are amongst the highest in Europe [age-standardized rate (world) for 1980-82: 7.5 per 100,000]. A case-control study was conducted on 53 male cases and 106 controls matched for sex, age (+/- 2 1/2 years), residence and hospital from which cases had been drawn. Individual interviews were carried out for the evaluation of ethnic, environmental, pathologic and occupational risk factors. Lip cancer was significantly associated with: fair, brown, or red hair (relative odds = 2.3), blue eyes (r.o. = 5.3), fair skin (r.o. = 8.0), sensitivity to sunburns (r.o. = 4.1), working outdoors (r.o. = 4.9), coexistence of non-specific lesions of exposed body parts (r.o. = 12,2), low socioeconomic status (r.o. = 15.8), farming (r.o. = 2.6) and working in greenhouses (r.o. = 12.0). Recall of recurrent Herpes labialis was not significantly associated; also association with tobacco smoking was not significant after adjustment for socioeconomic status. Risk increased exponentially with the number of ethnic characteristics of northern European populations.