Could Psoriasis Trigger Skin, Lung Cancer, and Lymphoma Risk?

Psoriasis patients may be at higher risk for developing cancers like nonmelanoma skin cancer, lymphoma, and lung cancer.

According to a study recently published in JAMA Dermatology, several factors associated with psoriasis‑‑particularly its chronic inflammatory nature, the use of immunosuppressive and ultraviolet therapies, the increased prevalence of smoking and obesity‑‑are attributed to the correlation between psoriasis and cancer.

As such, researchers compared the overall risk of cancer in psoriasis patients with the risk in patients not suffering from psoriasis to identify specific “cancers of interest”.

The team analyzed data from The Health Improvement Network of 198,366 patients with psoriasis and 937,716 patients without psoriasis.

Results indicated there was a small increased risk for any incident of cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) in the psoriasis- afflicted patient group. The study authors concluded, “The association between psoriasis and cancer, albeit small, was present in our cohort of patients with psoriasis, this association was primarily driven by non-melanoma skin cancer, lymphoma, and lung cancer.”