WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn is associated with significantly increased odds of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), according to a review published online Sept. 24 in JAMA Dermatology.

Isaac Weber, M.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to examine the association between sunburn history and the risk for developing cSCC.

Based on 17 studies (321,473 participants), the researchers found that in pooled analyses of the most adjusted results, there were significantly increased odds for developing cSCC with medium (odds ratio, 1.51) and high (odds ratio, 1.69) lifetime painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn frequencies. High frequencies of painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn in childhood also were significantly associated with increased cSCC odds (odds ratio, 3.11). Similarly, a history of any painful, blistering, and/or severe sunburn was significantly associated with increased odds of cSCC (odds ratio, 1.38).

"This study further emphasizes the importance of effective sunburn prevention strategies, especially against painful, blistering, and/or severe burns," the authors write. "Future research could focus on developing standardized, quantifiable sunburn metrics and consistently adjusting for key confounding variables such as skin color and ultraviolet index or geographic region."

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