Study explores skin cancer and driving position

A study has examined whether there is a link between skin cancer found on the right side of the face and the side of the road which we drive on.

A team at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge examined thousands of non-melanoma skin cancer cases to see if they were influenced by a driver's exposure to sunlight.

The study assessed the common skin malignancies of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

It concluded there was a "modest but statistically significant right-side predominance", and pointed out that side-windows may not offer total protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Researchers worked on the assumption that drivers, sitting on the right-hand side of the car in the UK, were exposed to more sun on the right-hand side of their face.

It was carried out by two School of Clinical Medicine students, Emma Guenther and Catharina Tao, under the supervision of consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon Animesh Patel.

They reviewed UK records from 2018-19 looking at BCCs and SCCs found on the face or head and confirmed by biopsy.

It discovered that of the 2,908 BCC cases, 52% were on the right-hand side, and of the 832 more serious SCCs, 54% were also on the right.

"While the reasons for this asymmetry are unclear, the findings contribute to the emerging literature on skin cancer laterality," the researchers concluded.

They said studies from other countries, where drivers sit on the left-hand side of the car, had identified the opposite pattern.

Patel said: "Drivers and front passengers may get some UV protection from the front windscreen, but side windows may not offer the same level of protection."

He hoped the results and further research would "better inform advice to motorists and their passengers".

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