Actinic cheilitis: analysis of clinical subtypes, risk factors and associated signs of actinic damage

Abstract

Actinic cheilitis (AC) is a common condition that mainly involves the lower lip, which is associated with chronic exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. AC is considered a precursor of malignancy (1), but the rate of progression from AC to invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has not yet been established. An epidemiological study previously described the prevalence of AC and its associated variables in the Galicia region (north-western Spain); the prevalence of AC in a population aged 45 years and over was 31.3%, and multivariate analysis showed that significant and independent risk factors for AC were age ≥60 years, Fitzpatrick skin phototypes I and II, working outdoors for more than 25 years, and a history of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) (2). We report here a subanalysis of the clinical manifestations of AC and the associations of AC with other markers of actinic damage