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Review
. 2022 Jan-Feb;26(1):87-92.
doi: 10.1177/12034754211038509. Epub 2021 Aug 15.

Risk of Developing Melanoma With Systemic Agents Used to Treat Psoriasis: A Review of the Literature

Amy Semaka  1 , Thomas G Salopek  2
Affiliations
Review

Risk of Developing Melanoma With Systemic Agents Used to Treat Psoriasis: A Review of the Literature

Amy Semaka et al. J Cutan Med Surg. 2022 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease induced by autoimmune-like dysregulation of the immune system. Treatment options have drastically evolved in recent years, and treatment advances that target specific cytokines and other molecules involved in dysregulation have had a profound effect in controlling the disease.

Objective: We reviewed the literature to assess the risk of developing melanoma with conventional therapies and newer agents used to treat psoriasis.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search using Medline (via Ovid) and Embase was conducted.

Results: The majority of studies reviewed reported insignificant results. Potential risk for melanoma was identified for only 3 out of 15 anti-psoriatic treatments analyzed: adalimumab (relative risk 1.8, 95% CI 1.06-3.00), etanercept (relative risk 2.35, 95% CI 1.46-3.77) and infliximab (Empirical Bayes Geometric Mean 7.90, 95% CI 7.13-8.60). The confidence intervals provided are from prior studies. There are not enough collective data on newer agents to make any conclusions on risk.

Conclusions: We were unable to identify any substantial risk for developing melanoma due to the use of anti-psoriatic treatments. Until additional long-term registry data become available, it would be prudent to continue screening patients with psoriasis at baseline and periodically for melanoma when these agents are used.

Keywords: biologics; immunosuppressives; melanoma; psoriasis; skin cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Breakdown of articles included.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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