Study Links Psoriasis to Lymphoma Cancers

Psoriasis sufferers may later develop lymphoma cancers at nearly three times the rate of people who do not have the red and scaly skin condition, a study said.

The reason for the greater risk is not clear, said the report from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

"Additional studies are necessary to determine if the increased rate of lymphoma is related to psoriasis severity, psoriasis treatment, or an interaction" of various factors, concluded the report published in the November issue of the Archives of Dermatology.

Researchers said they reached the conclusion by looking at a random sample from a British database that holds medical records for more than 8 million patients. The records involved people of 65 or older who were treated between 1988 and 1996.

"Patients with psoriasis had an almost three-fold increased rate of lymphoma compared with patients without psoriasis," the authors concluded. "Patients 65 years or older who had psoriasis developed an additional 122 lymphomas per 100,000 patients annually."

Psoriasis is a common skin disease characterized by patches of thickened, red and scaly skin, usually on the torso or arms. It can be painful and disfiguring in some cases and affects from 1 percent to 2 percent of the population.

The article said there had been previous research indicating psoriasis victims were at higher risk for lymphoma but the degree of the risk had not been measured.

Lymphoma is a general word categorizing a variety of cancers of the lymphatic system.

In another article in the same journal, researchers at the University of Alabama reported that a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nearly a year ago for the treatment of rosacea is superior to an older commonly used preparation.

The study involving 251 patients found the newer preparation -- azelaic acid gel sold under the brand name Finacea -- better and effective longer at reducing the bumps, pimples and redness that characterize the skin condition than did commonly used metronidazole gel.

The study was financed by the makers of Finacea, Berlex Laboratories, a U.S. affiliate of Germany's Schering AG.

Reference Source 89

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