Basal cell carcinoma and World War II–era cathode ray oscilloscope exposure - 21/08/11

Doi : 10.1016/j.jaad.2004.07.001

Armand B. Cognetta, MD ^a,^⁎ , W. Harris Green, BS ^b, Maria M. Marks, BS ^c, Robert M. Manausa, BS ^a, Marcelo G. Horenstein, MD ^d
^a From the Dermatology Associates of Tallahassee
^b The Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University
^c The Florida State University College of Medicine
^d University of South Alabama College of Medicine

Reprint requests: Armand B. Cognetta, MD, Dermatology Associates of Tallahassee, 1707 Riggins Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32317.

Tallahassee, Florida; Johnson City, Tennessee; and Mobile, Alabama

Abstract

Background

There is a high prevalence of skin cancer in World War II servicemen stationed in the Pacific theater as a result of various risk factors such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation and genetic predisposition.

Objective

We sought to describe whether a possible association exists between basal cell carcinoma (BCC) development and the use of high-voltage cathode ray tube (CRT) oscilloscopes manufactured around 1940 to 1955, which were a source of X-radiation.

Methods

We present a case series of 9 men aged 65 to 93 years who presented with similar head and neck distributions of BCC and a history of extensive use of early CRT oscilloscopes during and shortly after the World War II era. The patients were interviewed and their medical records reviewed to determine CRT exposure times and BCC location, subtype, and treatment. Representative BCC histologic sections were reviewed.

Results

A total of 230 BCCs of the head and neck region were identified and mapped. Questionnaires determined a minimum exposure of 600 (range, 624-9600) hours within a 60-cm distance of early CRT screens in all patients. The average number of aggressive histologic subtypes was 23.5%. The average number of Mohs micrographic surgery layers required to obtain negative margins was 1.99 compared with 1.63 in the control group treated by the same Mohs micrographic surgeon (P < .002).

Conclusion

This descriptive study is the first to suggest that ionizing radiation from early CRT oscilloscopes may be a factor in the development of multiple BCCs of the head and neck with increased subclinical spread.

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Plan

This supplement is made possible through the generous support of Stiefel Laboratories for the American Academy of Dermatology.
Presented at the Florida Skin Cancer Foundation meeting, Tallahassee, Florida, June 17, 2003.
Funding sources: None.
Conflicts of interest: None identified.