Cancer Risk in Vitiligo: No Evidence of Increased Prevalence-A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Oncology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder affecting 1-2% of the global population, characterized by melanocyte destruction.
• The relationship between vitiligo and cancer risk is debated, with conflicting evidence suggesting both increased risk and potential protection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively evaluate the risk of malignancy in patients diagnosed with vitiligo.
• To synthesize existing evidence through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis adhering to PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
• Searched Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases for studies reporting hazard ratios of malignancy in vitiligo patients.
• Utilized Cochrane ROBINS-E tool for data extraction and risk of bias assessment.

Main Results:

• Included 12 studies with a combined sample of over 3.2 million participants, including nearly 290,000 with vitiligo.
• Meta-analyses for lymphoma, melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancer showed no consistent associations.
• Pooled hazard ratios: Lymphoma (1.00), Melanoma (0.80), Non-melanoma skin cancer (0.38), with wide confidence intervals indicating uncertainty.

Conclusions:

• No significant differences in cancer risk were identified among the studied subgroups.
• A potential protective effect of vitiligo against certain malignancies cannot be ruled out but requires further investigation.
• Substantial heterogeneity across studies necessitates cautious interpretation and highlights the need for high-quality research.