Cancer Risk in Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Nationwide Population-Based Matched Cohort Study

March 2018 in “ Cancer Medicine ”

Chih‐Chiang Chen, Tzeng‐Ji Chen, Han‐Nan Liu, Yi‐Ju Chen

alopecia areata AA nonmelanoma skin cancer upper GI cancer liver cancer uterine cancer cervix cancer lymphoma breast cancer kidney cancer urinary bladder cancer autoimmune disorders skin cancer GI cancer bladder cancer

TLDR Alopecia areata patients have varied cancer risks, with some cancers being lower and others higher.

The nationwide population-based matched cohort study investigated cancer risk in 162,499 patients with alopecia areata (AA) from 1997 to 2013. The study found no increased overall cancer risk in AA patients compared to the general population. However, AA patients had significantly lower risks for nonmelanoma skin cancer, upper GI cancer, liver cancer, and uterine and cervix cancer. Conversely, they had higher risks for lymphoma, breast cancer, and kidney and urinary bladder cancer, with female AA patients under 50 years old showing an even higher risk for breast cancer. The study concluded that cancer risk in AA patients is organ-specific and not associated with underlying autoimmune disorders, suggesting routine screenings for early detection of specific cancers.

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Research cited in this study

11 / 11 results

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Cancer Risk in Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Nationwide Population-Based Matched Cohort Study

Research cited in this study

research Alopecia Areata Is Driven by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and Is Reversed by JAK Inhibition

research Alopecia Areata as a Paraneoplastic Syndrome of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: A Case Report

research Alopecia Universalis Associated with Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma

research Recent Advances in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Hair Loss Disease Alopecia Areata

research Systemic Autoimmune Diseases: Insights and Advances

research Hodgkin's Lymphoma Presenting as Alopecia

research Prevalence of Dermatological Disorders in Japan: A Nationwide, Cross-Sectional, Seasonal, Multicenter, Hospital-Based Study

research Genome-Wide Association Study in Alopecia Areata Implicates Both Innate and Adaptive Immunity

research Alopecia Areata Update

research Melanocytes: A Possible Autoimmune Target in Alopecia Areata

research Maintenance of Hair Follicle Immune Privilege Is Linked to Prevention of NK Cell Attack

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