Risks of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma in psoriasis patients after treatment with biologic vs non-biologic systemic therapies.

There are concerns that immunomodulatory therapies may increase the risks of developing basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in patients with moderate-severe psoriasis. A systematic review showed that psoriasis patients were significantly more likely to develop SCC than the general population, though included studies lacked adequate comparator cohorts and adjustment for relevant confounding factors including heterogeneity between BCC and SCC in association with phototherapy and immunomodulatory therapies and lacked data on newer biologic therapies. We therefore followed-up a large prospective patient cohort to determine whether the risks of developing BCC and SCC are increased in patients with psoriasis receiving biologic therapy compared with those treated with non-biologic systemic therapies only.