Malignancies in patients with psoriasis during and after biological therapy: A single-center experience

J Dermatol. 2024 Nov 16. doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.17554. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Over a 14-year period from 2010 to 2023, we treated 86 psoriasis patients with various biological agents at Asahikawa City Hospital, and 12 malignancies occurred in 11 of the patients. The numbers of malignancies by organ were as follows: four urogenital, three hematological, two gastrointestinal, one breast, one thyroid, and one lung. In two patients without cancer-related symptoms, elevated serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 levels led to the detection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma or thyroid cancer, and they did not have interstitial lung disease. Dermatologists should be aware of the increased incidence of malignancy in patients with psoriasis requiring treatment with biologics.

Keywords: KL‐6; biologics; comorbidity; malignancy; psoriasis.