Increased prevalence of breast cancer in female patients with lichen sclerosus

Abstract

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is an inflammatory dermatosis whose pathogenesis is incompletely understood. A retrospective review of patients with biopsy confirmed LS at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) clinical sites between 2009 and 2018 was conducted to study the link between breast cancer and LS. Out of 35 female patients who meet our inclusion criteria, 28.6% had a history of breast cancer, which is significantly higher than breast cancer prevalence (13%) in the United States. Interestingly, we have also observed a high rate of thyroid disease in patients with LS (32.6%), which is consistent with previous studies. Further studies are needed to delineate how breast cancer contributes to the development of LS, and whether screening for breast cancer has any utility in the management of LS.