Increased Risk of Skin Cancer for Psoriasis PatientsSeptember 26, 2001The risk of squamous cell cancer of the skin is increased in patients treated for psoriasis with ciclosporin in addition to photochemotherapy, conclude authors of a study in this week's issue of The Lancet. Immunosuppressive treatments such as ciclosporin have been associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, although most previous research has focused on patients who have had organ transplants. In the early 1970s, a new treatment for the severe skin condition psoriasis was introduced-combination of the light-sensitive drug psoralen and exposure to ultraviolet-A radiation (puva); immunosupressive drugs including ciclosporin and methotrexate are used to treat severe psoriasis cases. Isabelle Marcil and Robert Stern from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA, aimed to assess the risk of skin cancer in patients taking ciclosporin who had been exposed to PUVA and other treatments for severe psoriasis. The frequency of squamous-cell skin cancer for 28 patients (who had previously taken part in the PUVA study) and who were on ciclosporin was compared before and after their first use of ciclosporin. The investigators also analysed the entire PUVA study population (1380 patients) to assess the relation between ciclosporin use and frequency of squamous-cell cancer. In the 5 years before first ciclosporin use, six of 28 (21%) ciclosporin users developed a total of 20 squamous cell cancers. After ciclosporin use (average follow-up 6 years), 13 (46%) developed a total of 169 squamous-cell carcinomas. After adjustment for amount of exposure to PUVA and methotrexate, incidence of tumours was seven times higher after first ciclosporin use than in the previous 5 years. Any use of ciclosporin was associated with a three-fold increase in risk of squamous-cell cancer, and use for at least 3 months was associated with a nearly four-fold increase. Patients were at substantially greater risk with 3 months or longer use of ciclosporin than with exposure to at least 200 PUVA treatments. Long-term use of methotrexate was associated with lower risk than either any ciclosporin or high-dose PUVA use Robert Stern comments: "New immunomodulatory therapies hold great promise for improving the treatment of severe psoriasis. However, the great increase in skin cancer risk we have documented in patients with severe psoriasis treated with the first immunomodulatory therapy for this disease strongly argues that careful assessment of the long-term safety of new immunologically based treatments for psoriasis is needed."
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Related Skin Cancer Current Events and Skin Cancer News Articles New breast imaging technology targets hard-to-detect cancers Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is effective in the detection of cancers not found on mammograms or by clinical exam, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Lung airway cells activate vitamin D and increase immune response Vitamin D is essential to good health but needs to be activated to function properly in the human body. Until recently, this activation was thought to happen primarily in the kidneys, but a new University of Iowa study finds that the activation step can also occur in lung airway cells. Chronic inflammation can help nurture skin cancer, study shows Inflammation, a frontline defense against infection or disease, can help nurture skin cancer, researchers have found. Children with cystic fibrosis not well covered by guidelines for vitamin D needs Existing recommendations for treating vitamin D deficiency in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) are too low to cover the serious need, leaving most at high risk for bone loss and rickets, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center. 2008 ozone hole larger than last year The 2008 ozone hole - a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica - is larger both in size and ozone loss than 2007 but is not as large as 2006. Pitt research indicates new virus is culprit, not bystander, in deadly skin cancer University of Pittsburgh scientists are uncovering more evidence that a virus they recently discovered is the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma, an aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer. Variant of vitamin D receptor gene linked to melanoma risk A new analysis indicates an association between a gene involved in vitamin D metabolism and skin cancer. Published in the November 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that individuals with certain variants in a vitamin D-related gene, called BsmI, may be at an increased risk of developing melanoma. History of nonmelanoma skin cancer is associated with increased risk for subsequent malignancies Individuals with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are at increased risk for other cancers, according to a study published in the August 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Researchers discover how rheumatoid arthritis causes bone loss Researchers have discovered key details of how rheumatoid arthritis (RA) destroys bone, according to a study published in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Researchers discover scent of skin cancer According to new research from the Monell Center, odors from skin can be used to identify basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. The findings, presented at the 236th meeting of the American Chemical Society, may open doors to development of new methods to detect basal cell carcinoma and other forms of skin cancer. More Skin Cancer Current Events and Skin Cancer News Articles |
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