European researchers found that vitiligo-like depigmentation affected 200 cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, with symptoms typically appearing about 8 months after treatment began.

The multicenter study, published in JAMA Dermatology, reported that 77.5% of cases occurred in melanoma patients, while 23% involved patients with other cancers.

The researchers observed that the depigmentation primarily appeared in sun-exposed areas (53.5%) and affected less than 10% of body surface area in 70% of patients. One-third of patients experienced redness before depigmentation developed.

The study included 120 men and 80 women with a median age of 61 years. Most patients (96.5%) were White with a median Fitzpatrick phototype of 2.5.

More than half of patients (56.5%) chose not to pursue specific treatment for the condition. Among those who stopped immunotherapy, only one patient showed improvement in depigmentation.

Researchers noted that 43.5% of patients also developed thyroid problems from the immunotherapy. Additional symptoms included dry skin (35%) and itching (34.5%).

The study's limitations included its retrospective design and inability to determine the frequency of this side effect across different cancer types or treatment combinations.

Michela Starace, MD, PhD, from the University of Bologna led the research team, which included investigators from multiple European medical centers.

Conflict of interest disclosures can be found in the study.