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Methotrexate treatment for patients with psoriasis and risk of cutaneous melanoma: a nested case-control study.

Sam PolesieM GillstedtJ PaoliA Osmancevic
Published in: The British journal of dermatology (2020)
In this Swedish nested case-control study, the use of MTX was not associated with an enhanced risk for CMM. These findings are reassuring for dermatologists in everyday clinical practice. What is already known about this topic? Methotrexate (MTX) treatment has been linked to an increased risk for cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) in an Australian cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In a previous retrospective Swedish cohort investigation, patients who had exclusively been prescribed MTX by a dermatologist did not have an enhanced risk for CMM compared with MTX-unexposed individuals. Nevertheless, this cohort did not specifically include patients with psoriasis. What does this study add? This Swedish nested case-control investigation included 395 previously cancer-free patients with psoriasis who had CMM (cases) and 3950 matched cancer-free patients with psoriasis (controls). No association between MTX exposure and risk for CMM in patients with psoriasis was observed. The results are reassuring for dermatologists using MTX to treat patients with psoriasis. Linked Comment: Haugaard and Egeberg. Br J Dermatol 2020; 183:608-609.
Keyphrases
  • case control
  • papillary thyroid
  • atopic dermatitis
  • clinical practice
  • high dose
  • squamous cell
  • squamous cell carcinoma
  • skin cancer
  • childhood cancer