Evaluating Cancer Risk in a Large Cohort of 25,008 Vitiligo Patients: Insights from a Comprehensive Cohort Population-Based Study

Abstract

BackgroundCurrent research presents inconsistent results concerning the incidence of various malignancies among patients with vitiligo. ObjectivesTo evaluate the risk for cancer in patients with vitiligo. MethodsA population-based study was conducted using Clalit Health Services database (2000-2023) using a cohort study design. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were calculated by multivariate Cox regressions. ResultsThe study included 25,008 patients with vitiligo and 245,550 matched controls. The mean (SD) age of patients with vitiligo was 35.96 (22.39) years; 12,679 (50.70%) patients were male. There were 499 (95% CI 468-532) and 487 (95% CI 476-497) incident cancer cases per 100,000 person-years among patients with vitiligo and without, respectively (adjusted HR 1.00; 95% CI 0.93-1.07; p=0.999). Patients with vitiligo had a reduced risk of melanoma (adjusted HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.50-0.99; p=0.0337), lung cancer (adjusted HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.57-0.93; p=0.007) and bladder cancer (adjusted HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-0.94; p=0.0138). LimitationsThe secondary analysis involved multiple comparisons, which could potentially influence the results. ConclusionOur study found that cancer incidence rates in patients with vitiligo are not elevated. Consequently, cancer screening for these patients should follow the standard guidelines recommended for the general population.