New Meta-Analysis Strengthens Link Between Severe Sunburn and Skin Cancer Risk

10/06/2025
A large new meta‑analysis provides compelling evidence that painful, blistering, or otherwise severe sunburns significantly increase the risk of developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), one of the most common forms of skin cancer.
While ultraviolet (UV) radiation has long been established as a carcinogen linked to skin cancer, the precise contribution of sunburn—especially severe, blistering sunburns—has remained less certain. The new study synthesizes decades of observational research to quantify that risk more precisely.
Researchers screened over 9,300 article titles and abstracts, ultimately including 17 studies comprising 321,473 individuals. They used adjusted odds ratios to pool data across studies. Their key findings:
Individuals reporting medium-frequency painful, blistering, or severe sunburns over their lifetime had 1.51 times the odds of developing cSCC (95% CI, 1.26–1.81), relative to those with none or low frequency of such burns.
Those with high-frequency severe sunburns had 1.69-fold higher odds (95% CI, 1.39–2.06).
Perhaps most striking, high frequency of blistering sunburns during childhood was associated with more than triple the odds of cSCC (OR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.26–7.66).
Even a history of any single painful, blistering, or severe sunburn over the lifetime conferred a moderate increase in risk (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.06–1.79).
The new work helps clarify that not just total sun exposure, but discrete episodes of severe sunburn, appear to carry independent risk. Especially in childhood, when skin may be more vulnerable to DNA damage, repeated blistering burns may set the stage for malignant transformation.
The findings reinforce the importance of focused prevention strategies aimed at preventing blistering sunburns, especially in children and young adults. Educational campaigns, wide access to effective sunscreen, shade infrastructure, and policies discouraging indoor tanning may gain renewed urgency in light of this evidence.