Table 3: A meta-analysis pooling odds ratios for cutaneous melanoma and dose information for continuous or ordered categorical factors across case-control studies in populations of Spanish descent based on a random effects model.

Linear Dose-Response Analysesa

Crude

Heterogeneity

Adjusted

Heterogeneity

N

OR

95% CI

p-value

I2

OR

95% CI

p-value

I2

Skin Type  - a difference of

3

0.016

75.70%

0.034

70.40%

1 (I vs. II, II vs. III, or III vs. IV)

2.34

2.00-2.75

2.31

1.95-2.74

3 (I vs. IV)

12.87

7.95-20.82

12.35

7.43-20.51

Lifetime sunburns - a difference ofb

3

0.01

78.50%

0.008

79.30%

1 burn per lifetime

1.14

1.11-1.18

1.1

1.07-1.14

5 burns per lifetime

 

1.95

1.69-2.24

 

 

1.62

1.38-1.91

 

 

 

CI = Confidence interval, N = Number of subjects, OR = Odds ratios, vs = versus.

aA linear model estimates an increase of one unit, but can be set to specific units while remaining the same model. We present a difference that is meaningful for a given factor.

bAn upper limit of the number of sunburns was estimated from which the median of the upper category for each