Seasonal variations of pigmented naevi. Intercorrelations of clinical and histological variables with special reference to seasonal variation.

Abstract

During 1984, junctional and compound naevi were registered significantly more often during the summer half-year (May-October) than the total number of naevi, which showed no seasonal variation. A series of 342 of these junctional and compound naevi have been the subject of a blind histological classification. Clinical information was obtained by a questionnaire mailed to the patients. The intercorrelations of 19 histological and 10 clinical variables were studied by chi 2-test. The seasonal variation of these variables was further studied by chi 2-test and by Hewitt's test. Patient's hair colour, eye colour and sex as well as mitoses and localization showed a significant correlation to season of the year. The trends of these findings, compared with the information about tumour duration, indicate a short-term latency effect of UV light on naevi which are excised during the summer half-year.