Melanoma Risk Not Significantly Increased With Premenopausal Progestogen Use

Source: Dermatology Advisor, January 2020

Cohort study data published in the American Journal of Epidemiology do not support a strong association between premenopausal progestogen use and subsequent risk for cutaneous melanoma. However, a modest increased risk for melanoma was observed in women using multiple progestogens before menopause.

Investigators abstracted data from the E3N study, an ongoing prospective cohort of 98,995 French women age 40 to 65 years. At a baseline examination in 1990, women completed a questionnaire assessing medical and lifestyle variables. Follow-up questionnaires were administered every 2 to 3 years thereafter, with response rates of 80% to 85% at each time point. The analysis compared melanoma rates in women with and without premenopausal exposure to progestogen. Questionnaire data on menopause status, melanoma risk factors, and progestogen use were extracted. Progestogen treatments were considered exposure only if initiated before menopause. Progestogen-only contraceptives and progestogen with simultaneous estrogen use were excluded as exposures.