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Table 2 Summary of observational studies on the association between ARA and risk of skin cancer

From: Arachidonic acid and cancer risk: a systematic review of observational studies

References

Study

Subjects

Exposure assessment

Skin cancer assessment (diagnosis)

Adjustment for potential confounders

Assessment of reporting quality *

Main findings

Intergroup comparison

  P or Ptrend

Study design: case-control study (temporal relationship among exposure and outcome is unclear)

Exposure assessment: dietary intake

Hakim et al. 2000 [48]

Survey, USA, case-control design

301 nonmetastatic skin SCC patients aged ≥30, 267 population-baseed controls with no prior history of skin cancer, matched by age, sex

24-HDR of 4 days, validated

Histopathologically diagnosed skin SCC selected from Southeastern Arizona Skin Cancer Registry

Age, sex, total energy intake, history of diagnosed actinic keratosis, tanning ability, freckles on arms, use of sunscreen

22

Dietary ARA intake, g/day, tertile

OR (95% CI)

Ptrend

T1: ≤0.1

1.00

0.16

T2: 0.11-0.20

0.86 (0.57-1.29)

T3: >0.20

0.70 (0.46-1.08)

Exposure assessment: blood ARA level

Harris et al. 2005 [49]

Survey, USA, case-control design

336 nonmetastatic skin SCC patients aged ≥30, 321 controls with no prior history of skin cancer, matched by age, sex, race

Erythrocyte fatty acids (fasting blood), GC analysis, precision indicated

Histopathologically diagnosed skin SCC selected from Southeastern Arizona Skin Cancer Registry

Age, sex, lab, tanning ability, freckles on arms, exclusion of 94 controls with history of prior actinic keratosis

25

ARA composition weight%, quartile

OR (95% CI)

Ptrend

Q1

1.00

Not shown

Q2

1.61 (0.92-2.80)

 

Q3

1.40 (0.79-2.49)

 

Q4

2.38 (1.37-4.12)

 

Exposure assessment: tissue ARA level

Mackie et al. 1987 [50]

Survey, Australia, 1984-1985

100 primary melanoma patients, 100 controls with no history of malignant skin tumor, matched by age, sex, race

Subcutaneous adipose tissue triglyceride, GC analysis blinded to case-control status, precision not indicated

Selected from Sydney Melanoma Unit

None

10

ARA composition%, mean

ARA composition%, mean

P

Case:

Control:

 

0.41

0.28

<0.001

  1. 24-HDR: 24-h dietary recall, ARA Arachidonic, GC Gas chromatography, OR Odds Ratio, SCC Squamous cell caricinoma, USA United States of America.
  2. *Result of the critical evaluation carried out using the STROBE tool.