A nationwide cohort study found that patients with cancer who received immune checkpoint inhibitors may have had a higher risk of developing psoriasis compared with those receiving other cancer treatments, according to research published in JAMA Dermatology.
In the study, investigators analyzed the data of 135,230 patients from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database and Taiwan Cancer Registry between January 2019 and June 30, 2021. The study included 3,188 immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) users and 132,042 patients who received chemotherapy or targeted therapies.
The investigators revealed that ICI users experienced psoriasis at a rate of 5.76 cases per 1,000 person-years compared with 1.44 cases per 1,000 person-years among those in the non-ICI group. After adjusting for demographics and comorbidities, ICI users showed an elevated risk (inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 3.31, subdistribution HR = 2.43).
The highest risk occurred within the first 180 days of treatment initiation, with ICI users showing a 7.69-fold increased risk compared with non-ICI users during this period. The elevated risk remained consistent across different follow-up intervals up to 2 years.
Compared with specific treatment modalities, ICI users demonstrated higher psoriasis risk than chemotherapy users (adjusted subdistribution HR = 2.69), monoclonal antibody users (2.31), and protease inhibitor users (2.34).
Subgroup analyses indicated that the increased risk was significant among patients aged 66 years and older and male patients; however, there were no statistically significant differences between age groups or sexes.
The study utilized target trial emulation design and included sensitivity analyses. The investigators noted limitations including lack of data on lifestyle factors, genetic factors, body mass index, and environmental exposures. Additionally, the study could not assess psoriasis severity as a result of database limitations.
One study author reported research funding from IQVIA outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.
