Rosacea and Its Association With Malignancy: Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Dermatology and Oncology
• Epidemiological Research

Background:

• Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with potential links to immune dysfunction.
• Previous studies on rosacea and cancer associations have yielded conflicting results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the association between rosacea and common cancers.
• To clarify the relationship between rosacea and breast, thyroid, hepatic, skin cancers, and glioma.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic review of studies from major databases (Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, Ovid).
• Included studies investigating rosacea alongside glioma, breast, thyroid, hepatic, or skin cancers.
• Categorized associations as positive, negative, or unclear based on extracted data.

Main Results:

• Included 39 full-text studies.
• Found significant associations between rosacea and nonmelanoma skin cancers (e.g., basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma), breast cancer, and glioma.
• Observed no substantial association with melanoma; results for hepatic and thyroid cancers were unclear due to conflicting data.

Conclusions:

• Rosacea is significantly associated with increased odds of nonmelanoma skin cancers, glioma, and breast cancer.
• Rosacea does not appear to be associated with melanoma.
• Further research is recommended to clarify the associations with thyroid and hepatic cancers.