Skin Cancer Risk in Patients With Atopic Dermatitis

Adult patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) are at increased risk for developing melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) regardless of AD severity, according to a poster presented at the 2023 AAD Annual Meeting.

Researchers aimed to evaluate the risk of developing melanoma and keratinocyte carcinomas (SCC and BCC) in patients with AD by conducted a retrospective cohort study using a nationwide commercial claims database to compare incidence rates of melanoma, SCC, and BCC in a total of 60 million insured patients aged 18 years or older with and without AD from 2007 to 2021.

Adults with AD were at significantly higher risk for developing melanoma (RR=1.23; 95% Cl: 1.20–1.26; P<.001), SCC (RR=1.25; 95% Cl: 1.23–1.26; P<.001), and BCC (RR=1.26; 95% Cl: 1.24–1.27; P<.001) after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking history, sun exposure history, ultraviolet phototherapy, and ionizing radiation exposure than adults without AD. In addition, adults with moderate to severe AD were at significantly higher risk for developing melanoma (RR=1.11; 95% Cl: 1.05–1.17; P<.001), SCC (RR=1.25; 95% Cl: 1.22–1.28; P<.001), and BCC (RR=1.17; 95% Cl: 1.14–1.20; P<.001) than adults with mild AD.

The findings may be explained by the loss-of-function mutation in the filaggrin gene, and clinicians should account for these findings when considering surveillance for skin cancer in patients with AD.

“Conflicting data exist regarding the risk of skin cancer development in adult patients with AD. More mechanistic studies are necessary to understand AD and the development of skin cancers,” concluded the poster authors.

Reference

Huang MY, Miao KL, Lee K, et al. The risk of skin cancer among patients with atopic dermatitis: a population-based cohort study. Poster presented at: AAD Annual Meeting; March 17–21, 2023; New Orleans, LA.