Examining the causal association between psoriasis and bladder cancer: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Epidemiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Observational studies suggest a potential link between psoriasis and bladder cancer, but findings are inconsistent.
• Causality between psoriasis and bladder cancer remains unestablished.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal association between psoriasis and bladder cancer.
• Utilized bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis for robust causal inference.

Main Methods:

• Employed two-sample MR analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for psoriasis and bladder cancer.
• Primary analysis used the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, with weighted median, MR-Egger, and other methods for validation.
• Assessed heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and performed sensitivity analyses to ensure result validity.

Main Results:

• No significant causal association was detected between psoriasis and bladder cancer risk (IVW: OR=0.999, P=0.956).
• No causal relationship was found between bladder cancer and psoriasis risk (IVW: OR=0.979, P=0.716).
• Sensitivity analyses and complementary methods confirmed the absence of significant causal links, heterogeneity, or pleiotropy.

Conclusions:

• The findings do not support a causal relationship between psoriasis and bladder cancer.
• This MR study provides robust evidence against a direct causal link between these two conditions.