SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2012
Indoor tanning and non-melanoma skin cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 131 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
131 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- S2k guideline basal cell carcinoma of the skin (update 2023).Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG · 2024Guideline
- Reasons for using indoor tanning devices: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.British journal of health psychology · 2023Pooled it
- Defining skin aging and its risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2021Pooled it
- The current burden of non-melanoma skin cancer attributable to ultraviolet radiation and related risk behaviours in Canada.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2021Pooled it
- Skin cancer and skin cancer risk behaviors among sexual and gender minority populations: A systematic review.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2020Pooled it
- Association between financial links to indoor tanning industry and conclusions of published studies on indoor tanning: systematic review.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2020Pooled it
- A systematic review of compliance with indoor tanning legislation.BMC public health · 2018Pooled it
- All-cause mortality in patients with basal and squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human Skin Diseases Due to Particulate Matter.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017Pooled it
- International prevalence of indoor tanning: a systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA dermatology · 2014Pooled it
- Effects of a Tailored Mobile Messaging Intervention for Indoor Tanning Cessation in Young Females: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2025Trial
- A randomized controlled trial of a web-based personalized feedback intervention targeting frequent indoor tanning bed users: Engagement, acceptability, and preliminary behavioral outcomes.Journal of health psychology · 2022Trial
- The Effects of Gain-, Loss-, and Balanced-Framed Messages for Preventing Indoor Tanning among Young Adult Women.Journal of health communication · 2017Trial
- The influence of framed messages and self-affirmation on indoor tanning behavioral intentions in 18- to 30-year-old women.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2016Trial
- Randomized controlled trial of a web-based indoor tanning intervention: Acceptability and preliminary outcomes.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2015Trial
- Framing Indoor Tanning Warning Messages to Reduce Skin Cancer Risks Among Young Women: Implications for Research and Policy.American journal of public health · 2015Trial
- Temporal Trends in Cancer Burden and 27 Subtypes Among Women of Childbearing Age Globally from 1990 to 2021.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Nonconforming gender expression and adolescent indoor tanning.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Melanoma in Women of Reproductive Age: From Awareness and Prevention to Pregnancy-Associated Management.Cancers · 2025Review
71 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo synthesise the literature on indoor tanning and non-melanoma skin cancer.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: PubMed (1966 to present), Embase (1974 to present), and Web of Science (1898 to present). STUDY SELECTION: All articles that reported an original effect statistic for indoor tanning and non-melanoma skin cancer were included. Articles that presented no data, such as review articles and editorials, were excluded, as were articles in languages other than English. DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators independently extracted data. Random effects meta-analysis was used to summarise the relative risk of ever use versus never use of indoor tanning. Dose-response effects and exposure to indoor tanning during early life were also examined. The population attributable risk fraction for the United States population was calculated.
results12 studies with 9328 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer were included. Among people who reported ever using indoor tanning compared with those who never used indoor tanning, the summary relative risk for squamous cell carcinoma was 1.67 (95% confidence interval 1.29 to 2.17) and that for basal cell carcinoma was 1.29 (1.08 to 1.53). No significant heterogeneity existed between studies. The population attributable risk fraction for the United States was estimated to be 8.2% for squamous cell carcinoma and 3.7% for basal cell carcinoma. This corresponds to more than 170 000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer each year attributable to indoor tanning. On the basis of data from three studies, use of indoor tanning before age 25 was more strongly associated with both squamous cell carcinoma (relative risk 2.02, 0.70 to 5.86) and basal cell carcinoma (1.40, 1.29 to 1.52).
conclusionsIndoor tanning is associated with a significantly increased risk of both basal and squamous cell skin cancer. The risk is higher with use in early life (<25 years). This modifiable risk factor may account for hundreds of thousands of cases of non-melanoma skin cancer each year in the United States alone and many more worldwide. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on the harms of indoor tanning and support public health campaigns and regulation to reduce exposure to this carcinogen.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.