Are Agricultural Practices and Patterns Associated With Melanoma Incidence?

By: JNCCN 360 Staff
Posted: Friday, January 9, 2026

Eugene J. Lengerich, VMD, MS, of Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, and colleagues conducted a population-based ecologic study to examine the geospatial distribution of melanoma in Pennsylvania, its association with agricultural practices and patterns, and its implications for cancer control. Their findings were published in JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics.

“Agricultural practices and patterns were associated with incidence, suggesting that cancer control adopt an integrated ‘One Health’ approach to concurrently address occupational, environmental, and behavioral risks,” the investigators commented. “The [high-incidence melanoma] cluster was entirely within the 28-county catchment area of the Penn State Cancer Institute, demonstrating the utility of geospatial data and analysis for cancer control by a cancer center.”

The investigators analyzed county-level Pennsylvania data on invasive melanoma incidence from 2017 to 2021 among adults aged 50 or older, agricultural patterns and practices, ultraviolet radiation, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Spatial clustering was evaluated using local indicators of spatial association and Getis–Ord Gi* statistics. Adjacency-weighted Conway–Maxwell–Poisson models, adjusted for ultraviolet radiation and social vulnerability, quantified associations between melanoma incidence and cultivated and pasture or hay acreage, as well as acreage treated with herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and manure.

Melanoma incidence in a 15-county cluster in the highly agricultural south-central region was 57.1% higher than in the 52 counties outside the cluster (P < .05); notably, 8 cluster counties were classified as metropolitan. Cluster vs noncluster counties were found to have significantly more cultivated (mean, 19.8% vs 6.9%; P < .001) and herbicide-treated (16.8% vs 6.5%; P < .001) land. According to the investigators, in adjusted models, a 10% increase in cultivated land and a 9% increase in herbicide-treated acreage were each independently associated with a 14% increase in melanoma incidence.

“This study adds to a growing literature that highlights the importance of environmental considerations in cancer incidence and etiology,” JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics Editor-in-Chief Jeremy L. Warner, MD, MS, FAMIA, FASCO, concluded.

Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.

JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics

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