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Coal tar therapy. Is it carcinogenic?

F J van Schooten1, R Godschalk

  • 1Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands. F.vanschooten@GRAT.unimaas.NL

Drug Safety
|December 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Occupational exposure to coal tar may increase cancer risk, particularly lung, scrotum, and skin cancers. However, therapeutic coal tar use in psoriasis patients shows no clear increase in skin cancer, warranting further research.

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Area of Science:

  • Occupational health
  • Dermatology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Coal tar exposure is linked to increased risks of lung, scrotum, and skin cancer in epidemiological studies.
  • Laboratory rodent studies demonstrate coal tar's carcinogenicity following dermal application.
  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in coal tar are suspected carcinogens, forming DNA adducts after metabolic activation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential association between therapeutic coal tar exposure and the risk of cutaneous malignancies.
  • To address the discrepancy between occupational exposure risks and observed outcomes in psoriasis patients treated with coal tar.
  • To guide future research on coal tar's carcinogenic potential and associated health risks.

Main Methods:

  • Review of epidemiological data on occupational coal tar exposure and cancer incidence.
  • Analysis of rodent carcinogenicity studies involving coal tar dermal application.
  • Examination of existing literature on psoriasis patients treated with high-dose coal tar.

Main Results:

  • Occupational exposure to coal tar is associated with elevated risks for lung, scrotum, and skin cancers.
  • Rodent studies confirm coal tar's carcinogenic potential via dermal exposure.
  • Psoriasis patients treated with coal tar have not shown a clearly increased incidence of skin cancer.

Conclusions:

  • The carcinogenic effects of coal tar, likely due to PAH, require further investigation, especially concerning therapeutic use.
  • Controlled studies are needed to definitively assess the risk of skin malignancies in patients treated with coal tar.
  • Future research should explore potential increased risks of internal malignancies following coal tar exposure.

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