.Melatonin has an oncostatic action and has been tried in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The small size of our study does not allow us to separate between the theoretical synergism, or additive effect, of cosmic radiation, disturbed circadian rhythm, and the potential confounding of possible excessive sunbathing.
The excess of malignant melanoma in the present study is based on five cases, which were located on various body parts and of two histological types. It is therefore not possible to draw any conclusions from these cases according to different location or histology. Nevertheless, it is the second largest series of malignant melanomas yet published in retrospective cohort studies among commercial pilots. Only the British Airways study had more cases of malignant melanoma.