Atopic dermatitis unrelated to nonmelanoma skin cancer risk

Patients with a history of atopic dermatitis are no more likely to develop nonmelanoma skin cancers than other patients with dermatologic conditions, according to researchers.

“Very little has been published on whether a relationship exists between atopic dermatitis and skin cancer,” Dr. David J. Margolis, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia, and colleagues write in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.In a case-control, mailed-survey study, they examined the responses of 2911 subjects seen by a dermatologist who competed the survey–1378 controls and 1533 cases.A total of 254 (18.4%) and 210 (13.7%) controls and cases, respectively, had a history of atopic dermatitis. The odds ratio of nonmelanoma skin cancer in atopic dermatitis patients was 0.78 after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and topical steroid use. The results were not altered when difference definitions of atopic dermatitis were used.”It is important that future studies realize that those with atopic dermatitis may be at a decreased risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer,” Dr. Margolis and colleagues write.”This is especially important for future studies evaluating the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancers in patients with AD in that the appropriate comparison group would likely not be those with general dermatological conditions as used for our study…but other patients with atopic dermatitis.”(Source: J Am Acad Dermatol 2004;50:357-362: Reuters Health: Oncolink: April 2004)