Agent Orange exposure (AOE) is significantly associated with an increased risk of acral melanoma (AM), with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 1.27 to 1.31.
Current smoking exhibits a paradoxical inverse association with AM risk, similar to patterns seen in some other non-UV-related cancers.
Acral melanoma risk factors differ substantially from nonacral cutaneous melanoma (CM), particularly regarding the prevalence of UV-related precursors like actinic keratosis and keratinocyte carcinoma.
The study utilizes a robust natural language processing (NLP) pipeline to identify AM cases within the massive Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system, providing a high level of statistical power.
Background: The Unique Challenge of Acral Melanoma
