Patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer treatment may face a more than twofold increase in psoriasis risk, according to a recent study.

In the cohort study, published in JAMA Dermatology, investigators evaluated the risk of psoriasis in patients with cancer receiving treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database and Taiwan Cancer Registry, they examined 135,230 patients who received antineoplastic therapy between 2019 and 2021, focusing on psoriasis incidence among ICI users vs those receiving chemotherapy or targeted therapies.

The results indicated an increased incidence of psoriasis among ICI users, with rates of 5.76 cases per 1,000 person-years compared with 1.44 cases per 1,000 person-years in the non-ICI group. After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, ICI users demonstrated a more than twofold increase in psoriasis risk, with an inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)–adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 3.31 and a subdistribution HR of 2.43, showing consistent associations across sensitivity analyses.

Psoriasis risk among ICI users was observed consistently across follow-up intervals, with the highest incidence within the first 180 days of treatment (IPTW-adjusted subdistribution HR = 7.69). Age- and sex-stratified analyses indicated a statistically significant risk increase among patients older than 66 years and male ICI users.

The investigators identified an association between ICIs and immune-related adverse events, including psoriasis, in patients receiving this treatment, which may be relevant for clinicians managing immunotherapy.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.